The war of the Riders: Part I - Reunion
by Shadeslayer458
Summary: Du Weldenvarden has been attacked by a group of rouge riders and Eragon has been summoned by Arya to investigate. What he uncovers shows the extent of the powers of his new enemy. He needs all the help he can possibly get and he also realises he is not alone in more ways than one.
1. Reunited

**This is my first inheritance cycle Fanfiction. I kept on reading other people's ones some of which I enjoyed reading others which just wasted my time. The reason being that I enjoyed the cycle and I got pretty annoyed after it ended. Eventually I came to a conclusion that I wanted to make one myself. I'd appreciate constructive criticism but not any nasty comments on how crap my fic is. If you don't like it don't read it. Simple as. Or else tell what to do and how I can make it better.**

 **Anyway… here we go…**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Two hundred years after the incidents in inheritance…_

Twenty dragon Riders had come and infiltrated Du Weldenvarden without warning. The elven queen, Arya Dröttning, and her dragon, Firnen, had tried their utmost best to defend the other elves. Although they were powerful they couldn't stand up to the might of twenty or so Riders so they only managed to slay four before the rest of them fled. She and the four other elven Riders did what they could to simply drive them away, but once they realised that these Riders were here only to kill, they decided to extend the same courtesy to them.

Halfway through the battle she had called upon the Riders on the newly established home for the dragons to come and aid them. Eragon had told her that reinforcements would arrive later that week to aid the elves to be rid of the new mysterious Riders and to help them repair the damage that had been done in Du Weldenvarden. Forty dragons along with their bonded beings had been sent by Eragon headed by Blodhgarm on his dragon Sildaghm. Once the remaining 16 rouge Riders saw the thunder of dragons heading towards them they turned around and headed east towards the Spine, burning the forest as they went. Arya had estimated three to four thousand elves slaughtered in the massacre. She had just called upon Eragon to personally come and evaluate the situation. Eragon had replied in the affirmative saying, ' _Wiol ono.' For you,_ and agreed to come with his two current students: Matthias and Maximus, two twins who had been chosen by two orange eggs. He said he would leave after choosing someone to take charge of the remaining dragon Riders at the island Edoc'sil deloi. Unconquerable earth. His response had made her shiver but she rejected the idea that they could possibly be together because of the roles they played in their individual societies. She was a regal queen. The queen of the noblest race in all of Alagaesia. Dröttning of the elves. The _fair folk._

 _But he is the lead Rider and the leader of the most_ powerful _race in Alagaesia._ But she pushed her thoughts aside.

 _The question isn't who you are little one. It is about what you feel about him._

Arya shivered again at being called the same nickname Saphira used for Eragon but tried to push away the thought again.

Fírnen didn't just stop there though. _Are you trying to deny that you harbour feelings for him?_

'Fírnen, my feelings for him are that of a friend. I told him that at the Agaetí Blödhren and he understood that he shouldn't pursue me any further. So why should I now pursue him?'

 _Because you love him_ came Fírnens deep reply into her mind.

 _No – I – don't. Just because you're a part of my soul that doesn't mean you can make assumptions on my feelings. I don't love him,_ came Arya's heavy reply. She was beginning to feel angry. But why? What was there to feel angry about?

 _Yes you do. Being a bonded dragon allows me to see what you dream of while in your elven half sleep. The majority of your dreams show both you and Eragon together outside his tree house, at night stargazing with your head on his chest. I have seen Arya. You deny your own feelings just because you are a queen? Bah! You_ could _ignore them for a time if you wanted to but instead you use it as an excuse to stay away from him even though your heart yearns for him._

By now Arya had a huge lump in her throat and her head was spinning with the information that Fírnen had just provided her with.

Fírnen was about to take off into the smoky sky.

 _Think about it Arya. You're also restricting me from seeing Saphira._

Then he was gone. Arya couldn't tell whether she was dizzy or the world was spinning at an insane speed around her. She couldn't and couldn't be bothered to even care to try so she decided to fall asleep on the cliff on the rear side of Tialdari hall.

Eragon could now see the Edda River. Saphira had been flying tirelessly across the river. She had finally found a chance to see Fírnen so she had more energy than Eragon could possibly imagine. He had left more or less straight after Arya had given him her message. He had never seen her so scared and vulnerable. He had seen wounds on her face and arms. The first time she contacted him had been for help. The second time was for him to come and survey the damage and who could have caused it. Her eyes had betrayed nothing but he was sure that wasn't the only reason she wanted him to go. The prophecy from Angela had forbidden him from going back to Alagaesia but the witch was probably dead and he couldn't care less about the prophecy.

 _All I want now is to see Arya again,_ he thought to himself.

 _But why?_ Saphira asked. He could hear the worry in her voice.

 _Because I love her,_ he confessed to his partner of heart and mind.

 _But what if she rejects you like she once did. It will break your heart and that will affect me as bad as yourself._ He now understood her fear.

 _I won't approach her in that manner._ He sighed to himself, then continued, _she is probably the fairest living being in Alagaesia at the moment. No. I can't let my affection for her interfere with the actual reason she wants me to go._

 _But little one, what if the_ actual _reason is to be with you,_ Saphira told him sympathetically.

 _Saphira, they just went through something harder than when Galbatorix was here in Alagaesia. Why would she send for me just because she wants to be with me? No. It wouldn't make sense._

 _Maybe it would,_ Saphira replied.

 _How?_

 _During the war, Arya Dröttning enjoyed your presence. Right from our first arrival at Du Weldenvarden. She used to take you nearly every day after your training and show you the elven city. Or have you forgotten? She even sometimes asked Oromis to give you a reprieve from your training with the scar you had from Durza. Or have you forgotten that too? Or did you also forget when she ran into the empire to go and find you after you forced me to leave you at helgrind? She has feelings for you Eragon. Don't ever think anything different. She may not show it but I_ know _she has an affection towards you._

 _But I am a whole century younger than her. She said that the age was an obsta-_

Saphira cut him off, _Eragon! How could you even think that? You have seen and experienced things that even the most veteran elves haven't. Don't_ ever _let an elf tell you that you're too young to do something._

 _Thank you Saphira, what would I do without you?_

 _Be dead. We are two centuries away from when you were a hatchling little one. Don't forget that time will never stop._

'Master! I can see the forest edge!' Maximus called out to him.

'Yes. I can see it.'

 _What do you think Fírnen is doing?_ Saphira asked.

 _Probably waiting to bow down before you like the majestic dragon you are._ Eragon replied sarcastically.

 _Yes. He'd better._ He felt her rumble beneath him in amusement.

 _I never actually noticed how much you've grown. You're nearly as tall as Utgard._

 _Am I?_

 _Yes._

 _Don't lie to me._

 _Ok fine you're taller than Utgard._

 _That's better._

They both began to laugh as they made their way towards the lake Eldor. They were still in the air when they saw the sight he thought he would never see. Most of the forest beyond was on fire. All the way to _Ellesméra. Eragon couldn't breathe. The sight was terrifying. Although he had been living with Riders ever since he left Alagaesia, he hadn't thought that they were capable of doing_ _this_ _._

 _'Master… what happened here?' Matthias asked in a low voice which he only heard because of his acute hearing._

 _'I- I- don't know.'_

 _'What will we do?'_

 _'We'll go and investigate, like Arya Dröttning asked us to.'_

 _'Will we not help?'_

 _'Yes… if she lets us. She likes to be independent a lot of the time. And that's one of the things that I like about her. Her independence.' And he dazed off._

 _Saphira cleared her throat to grab his attention and he snapped out of his trance. He noticed Maximus and Matthias look at him in an awkward way and he cursed himself, realising that he had been thinking aloud._

 _'Well don't just gawp at me! Sunrise! Sunset! Land next to the forest and clarify with Gilderien the wise that we mean no harm. If he attacks you_ _do not_ _engage him in a duel. He_ _will_ _kill you without any second thoughts. If he attacks you,_ _run._ _OK?_

 _'Yes master,' they both replied in unison, before their dragons took them down to the forest floor._

 _Whatever happened here was dangerous Eragon. We shouldn't take it lightly._

 _Yes Saphira I know. I just hope Arya is OK. I don't know what I would do if I found out that something happened to her._

 _Same with me in Fírnens case._

 _I'm so desperate to find out._

 _Master! Gilderien has allowed us to enter Du Weldenvarden._ _Matthias told him in his mind._

 _Meet me at Ellesméra. Saphira is faster than you two so we will go on ahead and see you at the city._

 _Yes Master!_ _They replied at once._

 _Shall we pick up the pace?_

 _Yes Saphira. To Ellesméra._

 _One hour later, Saphira was approaching the ruined city of Ellesméra. He told her to head straight towards Tialdari hall because he suspected Arya to be there. All he wanted was to see her safe. However, as they approached Tialdari hall, he saw, on the cliff to the west of the hall, a small lone figure. As he further focused his eyes on the figure he saw Arya, but she wasn't standing. Panic gripped the very core of Eragon's soul._ _Was she dead?_

 _Saphira._

 _Yes little one?_

 _Fly towards the cliffs on the west of Tialdari hall. I think I can see Arya._

 _As you wish…_

 _Saphira then changed her course and flew close to the ground so Eragon could dismount without her having to land. After he was sure that he would land OK, he jumped off of Saphira and began to silently make his way towards Arya's limp body. He saw that she was breathing slowly. He let loose a sigh of relief. He fell to his knees next to her sleeping body. He saw scars and wounds all over her body, mainly on her hands and arms. He immediately started to heal her body as best as he could._

 _'Waise heill,' he whispered under his breath. He had no intention to wake her up, although he had forgotten the itchy feeling a person received when being healed with magic. Arya began to stir in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. Just as he finished healing her did he realise how beautiful the elf in front of him was. However, he couldn't look at her beauty now. The elven queen had just woken up from her sleep._

 _Arya dreamed about Eragon in her sleep until she began to feel an itchy sensation crawl across her body. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Eragon sitting there, in front of her. Just as she opened them, she closed them again. She had dreamed about waking up to see Eragon so many times. This one would be no different. Or so she thought until he heard him stand up. Her eyes shot open and widened as Eragon began to bow with his hand twisted. He then brought his two fingers up to his lips to initiate the traditional elven greeting._

 _'Atra ester-'he began but didn't get a chance to finish._

 _ **Aaaand that is the end of the first chapter. More than two thousand words. Damn that was long. So the next chapter will be of Eragon meeting Arya face to face for the first time. Please leave a review. Like I mentioned before, constructive criticism will be appreciated, not bulljack comments to annoy me.**_

 _ **Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my fanfiction. Some of the chapters will be longer than others but if nobody wants to tell me what I may be doing wrong then I will assume it is perfect and keep writing the way I am.**_


	2. Investigations

_**Chapter 2**_

Eragon found himself in an embrace by Arya. He heard her sob and felt his tunic become wet on his right shoulder.

'A- Are you ok?' he asked her.

'I… missed you… so much…' she said through her crying.

Eragon returned the embrace and they both stayed in that position until sunset.

'Eragon… you're exhausted. You should go to sleep if anything, whether it be day or night. You need your sleep after such a long journey. In fact, you probably flew all the way here, I was expecting you in another four days,' and she broke off from her embrace on him. He felt the warmth of her body leave his chest and was about to pull her back but thought better of it.

'Oh, and by the way… thank you for healing me,' and she lay back down.

'May I sleep next to you Arya Dröttning?' he asked nervously.

'Arya,' she corrected him, 'not _Dröttning._ Only those who are lower than me in status have reason to call me that. Not you iet Shur'tugal. You may call me whatever you like.' Then she said his true name, causing him to shiver. He also shivered at her use of the word _iet._ My. She had called him _My Rider._

'… And… yes, you may sleep next to me.' She then gave him a smile which blinded him. Obscuring everything else from his field of vision. He could have spent his entire immortal life just looking at her smile.

'Thank you,' he replied sheepishly.

'For what?'

'I- I- Nothing… It's just that…' he began to stutter.

'Just what?' she pressed him, raising a questioning eyebrow.

'I… didn't expect that reply,' he put it simply.

She laughed in her melodious tone. He loved the way she laughed. More than anything. In fact, if _anything_ , he had missed her laugh over the last two centuries the most.

'Shall we go to sleep?' he asked her, his face becoming filled with heat. He wanted to end the awkward situation as quickly as he could.

'Yes. Yes we should. Goodnight Eragon.'

'Goodnight Arya dr-'but he cut himself off from saying Dröttning, and he lay himself down next to her.

Arya fell into her elf sleep quickly. She had been unexpectedly surprised to find him there. Arya had noticed Eragon behave strangely. When she woke up she found Eragon still sleeping and so decided to contact Saphira and ask her about it. She reached her mind out across the forest and found her with Fírnen near Eragon's old masters hut. She touched Saphira's mind and was allowed entry.

 _Greetings Arya. To what do I owe the pleasure of you entering my mind?_ Saphira asked, initiating the conversation.

 _Greetings Bjartskular. I wanted to inquire about Eragon's unnatural behaviour,_ Arya said, not wasting time with pleasantries.

 _Oh no. He hasn't done anything stupid has he?_

 _No! Nothing of the sort, it's just that he has been behaving awkwardly since I saw him. We talked many times through a scrying mirror but none of the conversations seemed that awkward to him. I wanted to know if something happened which is causing him to act like this._

Saphira remained quiet for a while. Then began again, _promise me that you will not tell Eragon that I told you of this._

Arya grew worried. _Why? Is it that bad?_

 _Promise me!_

 _You have my word Bjartskular,_ she said in the ancient language.

 _Oromis ebrithil told my dear Rider on his first day of training that he would have to condense years and decades of training into weeks and months. Then, a few days after the Agaetí Blödhren Oromis told him that the amount of knowledge that he held would have made him go insane at such a young age. He suggested that Eragon was broken. It is nigh impossible to break a broken person._

Arya's hands flew to her mouth in shock, although Saphira didn't know that.

She continued, _Eragon didn't think much of it but_ I _did. I spent a while pondering over what he had said and came to a conclusion that…_ she faltered but Arya pressed her to continue.

Saphira regained her composure and continued, _I spent a while and came to the conclusion that_ you _broke him with your rejection at the Agaetí Blödhren._ Saphira's voice wasn't an accusatory one but Arya knew that Saphira unopenly blamed her for what she did to him.

She continued, _during the war, every time he was near you, he would feel a tug at his restraints telling him to let go. However, do_ not _think of him as weak in his self- control. Only_ I _understand how much he wanted you. I then understood that he was an embodiment of self-restraint. Any other man or elf would've succumbed to the yearning and made a wrong move. He was destroyed beyond belief when as soon as you began to open up to him, he had to leave Alagaesia, although at that time he had many other things to do so once again, his self-control stopped him from making the decision of staying behind just for you. The only respite he would get from his craving for you would be when he communicated with you through the scrying mirror. Arya, never think that he will not be there for you. He loves you. He told me himself. He sent Blodhgarm instead of coming himself so as to control himself and not allow you to distract him during the battle against the rouge Riders, but when you called him he came straight away. Never underestimate his love for you. Now the reason why he acts strange around you, is because he is trying to contain himself and doesn't want to feel the pain of being rejected by you again. He's scared of you Arya… actually, that came out wrong. He's_ terrified _of you and the impact you have on him. Whether or not you have feelings for him is your own issue but I have discussed the reason as to why you contacted me and now I sever the link. Farewell._

Arya left Saphira's mind in an utter state of shock. She felt dizzier than when Fírnen had spoken to her the day before. She now knew the extent of what she was doing to the only living being other than Fírnen who loved her.

 _What should I do?_ She thought to herself, distressed. _My feelings for him are those of a friend… Or are they something more than that? Regardless! I've done so much harm to him over the last two centuries!_

Arya was at war with herself when she saw Eragon begin to stir awake. She pushed her thoughts aside again and crawled over to Eragon.

She stared at his face as he opened his eyes. She was the first sight he saw that day and was lost in her emerald eyes but when he realised who it was, he cringed.

She felt horrible as she saw his reaction and then decided to make him feel somewhat better. She laughed. She had noticed long ago that he enjoyed her laugh, right when they were heading to Ellesméra on the raft and she had laughed at Nari for saying it was dishonourable to allow a dragon to carry a burden. She had seen his face out of the corner of her eye and had initially seen surprise but also saw longing written all over his face.

She finally came to a reasonable conclusion. She loved him… and it felt so much more right than wrong when she confessed it to herself. Only thing to do now was to go for the kill…

Eragon woke up and found two emerald coloured cat-like eyes staring at him. He had fallen into a daze but then snapped out of it after he noticed the owner of the eyes. He cringed, but then relaxed when he heard her laugh. Suddenly, he realised something… Arya _knew_ how she was torturing him! Was she so sadistic as to enjoy whenever he made a fool of himself or was hurt on the inside? She had torn out his heart once but now he understood that she found pleasure in watching him react to her motives in a wounded manner. Anger and frustration mixed with helplessness and disappointment raged within his mind. He decided to leave for Edoc'sil deloi as soon as possible. He would investigate, do his best to fix the problem, then leave. He had no more desire to stay in Du Weldenvarden, especially with _her_. But he _needed_ her. She made him feel whole. She made him feel comfortable.

 _But she also makes me feel uncomfortable._

'Good morning Eragon,' she said in a strangely seductive voice.

'G- Good morning Arya.'

'Did you sleep well last night?' she asked him in the same voice.

Eragon was beginning to feel wary. 'Um… yes. Kind of. Had a few…' he cleared his throat, 'dreams.'

'Ah. And what would those dreams be about?'

 _Why is she asking so many personal damned questions? Was she in my mind?_

'Nothing important.'

'I see.'

'Dröttning, I think I should make a start on the reason I'm here. I need to be going back to Edoc'sil deloi as quickly as possible.'

Arya jerked her head towards him at a speed only elves could manage. Eragon cringed again. Her face was one of frustration.

' _Arya._ Not _Dröttning_ I already told you once, didn't I?'

'Right, please forgive me,' Eragon wasn't sure what was happening. She was acting strangely this morning.

'You are forgiven. Now, the rouge Riders headed east after Blodhgarm and his company arrived. Towards the spine I think. They probably came from Vroengard, but I wasn't so sure after your account of the situation there. Also, they weren't any of the Riders we trained. Of that I'm sure.'

Whenever a dragon egg hatched, the dragon would grow until it could carry its Rider on its back, then head towards Ellesméra for the first five years of training with Arya. Then they would head towards Edoc'sil deloi to finish the rest of their training with the Riders. Because of this system of training the Riders, Arya knew all of them.

'I will see to the damage done to Du Weldenvarden and examine the methods of magic used by the Riders and then check if they were any normal dragons,' he said and then left to complete the tasks he set.

For the rest of the day Eragon did as he said he would. He checked the burns the dragons left and asked around as to the types of spells the Riders used. Nothing was out of the ordinary. In the evening, he went to Arya in Tialdari hall and began the elven greeting but she waved at him in a manner that meant it wasn't necessary. They began to walk from the throne room towards Arya's personal chambers.

'Nothing of these Riders is out of the ordinary. The only thing that isn't ordinary is where they came from and how they managed to get here without being noticed… unless they killed any witnesses. I'll rest in Ellesméra for a while longer, perhaps a week or so, then leave for the spine with twenty two Riders…. You and Fírnen may join the thunder… if you so wish…' Eragon finished awkwardly. They were right outside Arya's room now.

'Eragon…'

'Yes Arya?'

'Please shut up.'

Eragon was taken aback by her sudden mood change. No more than three minutes ago, she was the emotionless queen she portrayed herself to be yet here, on her own, with him, she was totally different.

'Y- Ye- Yes Arya Dröttning. As you wish,' he replied, before asking, 'where am I to sleep? I don't mean to trouble you but I am tired.'

'Oh. Yes. You will be sleeping in here tonight and for the rest of your stay in Ellesméra. My room. My bed. With me.'

She then grabbed his tunic collar and pulled him into the room…

 **Right then… please leave a review. It would be much appreciated.**


	3. Rya

_**Chapter 3**_

 **I'll be introducing a few new OC in this chapter hopefully. This chapter will also be somewhat longer than others.**

 **Thanks to xXxGhostRiderxXx for reviewing.**

(Rya)

'Alright! I give up!' the hopeless captain cried out.

Rya grew irritated at how weak the soldiers that were supposed to _protect_ Carvahall were. She had just been sparring with the captain. She had beaten every other soldier and when she called him to spar with her, he simply said he didn't have enough time. Rya had become annoyed and taunted him, calling him weak, she tempted him out from his room in the castle on the hill in Palancar valley. The duel hadn't lasted fifty seconds. She had hit his sword to the side without any effort and brought her sword up to his neck and simply said, 'dead.'

He didn't give in that quickly though and had punched her stomach. She bent over and so he landed an uppercut on her nose. She flew backwards and the captain got up and spat on her. She recovered quickly and began using her fists and feet to bring him to her mercy. This fight had lasted shorter than the first.

The captain was currently bleeding from his mouth and nose. The other soldiers simply stared at her. They had never seen anyone manage to even gain the upper hand on their captain much less be defeated by a girl in under a minute. They didn't even have the stomach to go and help him.

Rya was a 17 year old woman, among the progeny of Roran Stronghammer. Her entire family was of a military standing and so was naturally an expert with a sword, however, she was something else. Nobody in her entire family could stand up to her in a fight, whether it be with a sword or hammer or knuckles or bows and arrows. She would always best them. She had been quite determined that she could take on every soldier in the empire, so she started out with the ones in Carvahall.

'Oy!' the captain shouted out to his troops, 'don't just stand there and gape! Come and help me!'

The soldiers immediately stood up and skirted towards their captain, avoiding angering Rya. A few people had told her that she had the Rider Eragon's blood in her. They assumed it had been through this that their family was so high in military standards. Rya ignored this theory. Who was Eragon? Did he even exist? If he did, wouldn't he come to at least visit his family? According to most people, the only family Eragon had had was Roran. If that fact was true, she was among the only family he had, unless he had taken a mate. She had never seen him. In fact, she had never even seen a dragon, so how could she believe he existed.

'What's your name girl?' she heard the captain ask suddenly.

'I'm not a girl. I'm a woman, I'm seventeen. And my name is Rya,' she replied with a cold voice.

'Right. Sorry. Would you like to teach my men a few things? They could use a trick or two.'

' _You_ could use a trick or two. You call yourself a captain? My grandmother could fight better than you,' Rya enjoyed the look of anger it sent across the captain's face.

'Do _not_ talk to me like that _girl_!' he spat. 'You _will_ treat me with respect.'

'Make me,' she replied. A smile graced her lips and she laughed. 'Sorry, I forgot. You _can't._ You can send the entire army after me. They won't do _anything_. I have just felled your entire battalion, one after the other, over the last week. You think a few more soldiers will stop me? Bah! They'll be licking the underside of my boots before I lop their heads off.'

The captain became red by the time she finished. He then turned around and stormed off towards his chambers.

Rya was a woman of tall stature and a slender frame, and although she wasn't muscular, she had a surprising amount of strength. She had long red hair and brown eyes. Her skin colour was a pale white. She was usually soft in her nature but if she was angered, things could be disastrous. She had learnt how to use magic from her uncle, Zenith. She wasn't as skilled at magic as she was with a sword, however, she was proficient enough to go by the days and use it for simple tasks. Her vocabulary in the ancient language wasn't as vast as her uncles, due to her impatience when she couldn't learn a word or a phrase. She was one of the few magicians the empire didn't keep a record of.

Rya spent most of her time helping in and around the castle where she lived.

One day, while she was sparring with her uncle, she spotted something in the distance. A flock of large birds were bearing towards them at a ridiculously high speed. She finished off the duel quickly, so she could go and see what was happening.

'Hey!' Zenith shouted to her. 'How did you suddenly beat me so quickly?'

Rya shrugged her shoulders. 'Meh, I usually just toy around with you and find different ways of defeating you every day, just so I can develop different methods of using a sword.'

A look of annoyance flashed on Zenith's face. She ignored him and turned towards the flock of birds she had seen earlier. She decided to get a better view and so, climbed up a few rocks. When she turned back towards the birds, she saw dragons. Twenty two of them. They each had one person on top. They were heading towards the town. Rya held her breath. This was the first time she was seeing a dragon. But this wasn't just _a_ dragon. There were more than twenty of them. The first thought that came to her head was Eragon. But the thought soon left when she heard four of them roar and then they let out jets of flame. The flames were not to impress. The dragons breathed their fire on the houses and the townspeople. Fear instilled itself in her and she had to act quickly. She ran back to Zenith and picked up her bow and her quiver of arrows.

'What's wrong?' Zenith asked.

'Dragons are here. They're burning the town and the people. I'm going to go and help,' she told him.

Rya started to make her way down the valley and towards Carvahall. Just when she began, Zenith grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

'You will not go. The soldiers will take care of them.' Rya could see a look of worry in his eyes. He was so easy to read, it was actually quite unbelievable. Rya simply shrugged him off and turned around to run towards Carvahall.

'The Riders will make mincemeat out of them. The soldiers are pathetic. _I will_ go and deal with this. Try and stop me if you want but it will only slow me down.' And with that, she began to sprint off towards Carvahall.

Once she reached the town, she saw utter chaos. The dragons were tearing apart the soldiers and the ones that weren't engaged in battle were being slaughtered by the Riders. To her right, she saw a Rider approach her and raise his sword to strike her in the side of her head. Rya raised her right arm and blocked the blow. She moved the Rider's sword arm out of the way to her right and punched him in the stomach. She then grabbed an arrow from her quiver and stabbed him in the back of the neck with it, before pulling it out and firing it at the dragon that had started to make its way over to her after seeing its Rider fall. The arrow went through its eye and Rya took this opportunity to fire a few arrows at other Riders. She killed one more Rider and his dragon before turning her attention back to the first dragon. It was still struggling with the first arrow she implanted in its eye and so she ran towards it before jumping onto its saddle and climbing onto its neck. After she was sure about her footing, she unsheathed her sword. Rya then plunged it into the dragon's neck and twisted it. The dragon reared while Rya pulled out her sword and jumped off.

She looked around and found Zenith fighting, using a sword with two blades: one coming out of each side of the hilt. She stared in amazement as she watched him separate the double sided sword into two separate blades. With his dual-wield weapon, he was taking on two Riders when another shouted an order in the ancient language to them and they pulled away, jumping onto their dragons. The dragons took off after another moment, but as they flew off, they let loose, flames all over Zenith, covering him in a fiery inferno. The remaining eighteen Riders also got on their dragons and took off from the ground. Rya wasted no time and started firing a volley of arrows at the fleeing dragons. The arrows stopped in mid-air and fell harmlessly to the ground. She didn't bother with firing anymore arrows and so, turned her attention to Zenith.

Zenith was black with soot from the flames and his clothes had turned to ashes. He held his arm up with something in his hands. Rya made her way over to him. She started to panic as she looked at her beloved uncle.

'Uncle! Uncle, you'll be Ok,' she said. She started to cry. He was the only close family member he had left. Her parents had died in an accident involving a collapsed wall near the edge of the town while she was only two years of age. Rya _could not_ afford to lose him along with them.

'R-Rya…' Zenith said through his heavy panting.

'Yes uncle?' she managed to say through her sobs.

He took a deep breath before saying, 'Be strong, do not mourn me. Take this key from me. Go to my room in the stronghold and look for a closet and take all of the equipment from there. Make your way to the castle in Ilirea. Report what happened and find Eragon Kingkiller. Stay with him. I prepared for something like this. Everything you'll need to get to Ilirea is in that closet. There, you will also find a bag which I enchanted for extra space. You'll also find a belt with twelve gems inside. They have plenty of energy inside them. Use them at your time of greatest need. And…' he faltered.

'Uncle, and what?' Rya pressed.

'Take my swords. You can fix them together into one weapon if you so desire. The gem in each pommel contains a horde of energy. Use it wisely…' he groaned before continuing, 'I now bid you farewell. Good luck and may good fortune smile upon you.'

He groaned again before going limp. Rya screamed into the sky.

' _Wyrda!'_ Fate.

She continued to cry for the next half hour. After the sun set, Rya decided to obey one of his final wishes. _Be strong, do not mourn me…_ She wiped the tears away from her eyes and took the key from his hand. She turned towards the fort before turning back around towards her uncle. _It would be wrong for me to leave without burying him,_ she thought. So, she spent the next fifteen minutes using her scattered words of the ancient language to make a tomb out of limestone, as it was the only materiel available to her. She would have made it out of diamonds if she could, but she didn't have that many resources. She then inscribed runes into a flat rock using a sharp stone. She wrote:

 _Here lies Zenith_

 _Descendant of Roran Garrowson Stronghammer_

 _He was like a father to me_

 _May his name live on in glory_

After she was satisfied with it, she turned towards the fortress in Palancar valley again. She took a deep breath and began to walk.

(Eragon)

Eragon tried his best to sleep. Sleep doesn't come easy when you're in a state of shock. On the other side of the bed was Arya Dröttning. Her actions were making him more confused as the minutes went.

She had violently dragged him into her room and locked the door before starting to take her clothes out of a wooden cabinet. Eragon hadn't been sure as to what he should do until Arya turned around and motioned for him to turn away as she changed. Puzzled as he was, he decided that it would be best for him to change as well, since Arya wouldn't let him leave. However, his belongings were in Saphira's saddlebags.

'Ok you can look at me now,' Arya called from behind.

He turned around and was, once again, taken aback. She wore a green tunic and short cotton leggings that didn't even cover her knees. His previous theory of her sadism was being challenged by her openness. _Unless, she's trying to provoke me,_ he thought to himself, and so, he stilled himself.

'Arya, since I am to be sleeping here, I need to change my clothes as well, but my belongings are with Saphira,' he said. He was trying to get an opportunity with which he could contact Saphira.

'No need. I had your things sent here beforehand. They're over in that corner,' she said, pointing to the far corner of the room from the door.

'Thank you.' _Dammit._

As he went over to his things, he began to take in the details of her room. She had many cabinets and wardrobes and a huge bed which could possibly fit two small families on it. He took out a brown tunic and felt green leggings. He motioned for Arya to turn around but she stayed where she was. Staring at him and the clothes in his hands. He motioned again but she still stared at him with the same blank expression. So he had had to change in front of her. He had felt ludicrously vulnerable. After that, they had both got into the bed.

And that brought him to where he was now. In bed. With Arya Dröttning on the other side.

He felt multiple urges to move towards her slender sleeping form but retained his self-control.

Arya suddenly moved towards him in her sleep… _Oh sh…_

 **Leave a review please.**


	4. Murtagh

_**Chapter 4**_

 **Thanks to Boomshock5678 for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **(Rya)**

In the closet was a whole armoury. Rya was amazed at how Zenith had managed to fit so many things inside it. There was an armour set, two crossbows; which could hold up to twenty bolts at once and could be reloaded by simply pulling the crossfire mark back until it ran out of bolts, a belt full of gems, six battle axes, four war-hammers; including her ancestor, Roran's, hammer, a belt with small hatchets attached; which were used as throwing knives but more brutal, a belt with a bag of throwing knives, a bow and a large quiver of arrows and a retractable blade made to be worn on the arm just above the wrists.

There was also a moderately thick book which contained a dictionary of the ancient language along with a wide variety of spells. Along with all of this, there was a thick travelling coat and a small bag which Zenith had told her he had enchanted for extra space.

Rya was quite shocked at how many weapons Zenith had stored and began to take what she needed. She took the belt of twelve gems and the crossbow. She took the armour off the stand and put it on. It seemed to fit quite well. It consisted of a helmet, a chainmail breastplate, chainmail greaves and gauntlets which were flexible enough for her to move around comfortably, chainmail leggings and leather boots. Each piece was lighter than it looked and it fit her more or less perfectly. She then looked back inside the closet and took out the belt with the hatchets and the belt with the inside. She took a small battle axe which was light enough for her to carry without too much of a problem. She was about to leave but then decided to take the retractable blades. They would be hidden inside her gauntlets and would prove to be useful if and when she needed them. She also took the larger quiver of arrows, filling it up with the ones from her own one.

After she was satisfied, she took the book and the bag. Inside it, was a month's worth of provisions and plenty of coins. Rya intended on taking a flint and steel but changed her mind. She could use magic for a fire. She didn't need a sword because she had both of Zenith's swords and her own one as a backup.

She took the travelling cloak and left the castle. The cloak had a hood so it would help if she needed to be anonymous.

She decided to spend the rest of the day helping the townspeople, and would leave at first light the next day. She didn't have a horse so she would have to travel on foot, which wouldn't be a problem considering how light her items were. Perhaps they were enchanted as well.

She arrived at Carvahall a little before sunset. Preparing for the journey had taken longer than she had anticipated.

'Oy! Oy you! Who are you?' someone called out in her direction. She turned around and saw Harlan: the smith of the town. He was a broad and muscular man with sharp facial features and a short, neatly trimmed beard.

He continued, 'You! Yeah you! Come over here and identify yourself!'

Rya quickly pulled the hood off from her head and looked at Harlan. He immediately cringed after seeing her, which amused her. _Even the toughest men fear me,_ she thought to herself.

'Forgive me Lady Rya. I didn't know it was you.'

'It's OK. I'm not going to execute you just because you couldn't recognize me,' she replied.

'I'm sorry but… you seem… _bulkier_ than usual. I mean no offense by it, but you look like you've gained a few pounds,' he stated nervously.

'Hmm… well, I am in possession of a crossbow and a few other things. They're all hidden under my cloak. I'm going out of town for a while, so I'm carrying a lot of things.'

'Where are you going?' he asked.

'Ilirea. Then I will hunt down the Riders and make even what they have done here.'

'When will you leave? Do you have enough provisions? Regardless of how many things you are carrying, I doubt it is enough to get all the way to the capital.'

'I have enough. It will last me to my destination but it would have been easier if I had a horse. I don't have one and so, I will walk for now.'

'Would you like one?' he offered.

'I would, yes but, I don't think anyone would give me theirs at the price I would offer them. I have enough to buy one in Therinsford. Until then, I'll walk,' she replied.

'Do you want mine?' he inquired.

'No, I'll be Ok. Thank you for the offer, nevertheless,' she rejected kindly, 'I'll be leaving at first light.'

'Will you go to the tavern?'

'Yes. Why so many questions?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'I don't know. Anyway, farewell. May good fortune smile upon you.'

'Farewell,' she responded, and with that, she made her way towards Carvahall's tavern.

 **(Eragon)**

He tried to move but Arya's grip on him wouldn't loosen.

 _How can her grip be that strong?_ He wondered to himself.

Arya had moved towards him and got him in an iron-grip embrace. He had spent nigh over two hours trying to escape and at the same time, try his best not to wake her up. A horrible thought came to his mind, _what will she think when she finds herself like this in the morning?_

Dread crept through Eragon but he tried to remain calm.

 _This is, by far, the longest night I have ever had…_

 **(Murtagh)**

Thorn was flying towards Du Weldenvarden at a neck breaking pace. They had received news that it had been attacked by Riders. He saw the forest come into his field of vision and Thorn sped up.

 _Calm down Thorn! At this speed, you'll be exhausted by the time we reach Ellesméra._

 _No Murtagh. I will be fine. Our friends have been attacked and you expect me to travel at a leisurely speed? You are wrong. I will not stop or slow down from now until we reach Ellesméra._

 _Ok fine take it easy. That's all I'm asking of you._

Thorn simply grunted in disapproval and carried on even faster.

Murtagh grew angry but could do nothing about it. Trying to stop a dragon from doing what it wanted was as hard as trying to kill a fanghur with his fists. He decided to drop the situation.

They arrived at Ellesméra that night. All Murtagh cared about was the queen. Arya was a friend to him. She had confided in him by contacting him and now he wanted to see her more than anything else. They landed in a clearing and waited for something to happen. He had never been here but Galbatorix had shown him the layout of the forest from his memories of training there.

Murtagh waited for a minute but when nothing came out of the dense tree line, Thorn took off and continued his flight towards Ellesméra. Later that night, just before the sun rose, they were at Ellesméra. Murtagh could see the hall that Galbatorix had described as Tialdari hall and got off Thorn. He ran inside and looked for Arya.

 _Dammit. How could I be so stupid? She would be asleep._

He looked around for an elf. He found one and asked where Arya was. The elf told him where her personal chambers were and he sprinted off in that direction.

The elves had come to trust Murtagh after Arya had explained what he had done in the last battle against Galbatorix and how it was due to him the world was rid of the tyrant.

He found her door and tried to open it but found it locked. He knocked slightly. He heard sounds from inside and some groaning before the door opened. Eragon!?

 **(Eragon)**

Eragon had develop bags on his eyes and he kept trying to go to sleep but he couldn't.

He jumped when he heard a voice.

'Why don't you go to sleep?'

Eragon began to panic. Arya was awake! How long had she been acting like this for?

'I- I- find it hard to sleep on some nights,' he said awkwardly.

'Hmm…' she thought for a moment before continuing.

'Is it because _I'm_ here?' she asked.

He stiffened. What was she doing? She never acted like this.

A knock on the door saved him from having to answer. He tried to get up to open it, but Arya still had her iron grip on him. She groaned in disappointment before she let him go. Eragon relaxed himself before going to the door and unlocking it. He could finally breathe properly. His relief was short lived when he saw Murtagh standing in the doorway.

 _Dammit! What will he think with me inside her room?_

'Eragon?' Murtagh blurted out in surprise.

'Brother? What are you doing here?' he asked.

'I could ask the same. Actually, what are _you_ doing in _there_?'

 _Dammit! I was right._

'I sleep here,' he replied simply.

'Is Arya there?'

Arya replied for him. 'Yes Murtagh, I'm in here.'

'Are the two of you… you know… _mates_?' the surprise in his voice was evident.

' _No!'_ Eragon replied. His voice had been unintentionally disgusted.

He looked back and saw an offended expression on Arya's face.

 _Dammit again!_

Murtagh continued his interrogation, causing Eragon to look back at his half-brother.

'Then why are you sleeping in the same bed?'

 _Dammit!_

'I… we…' he couldn't finish his sentence and trailed off, looking like a fool.

 _Dammit!_

Arya saved him. ' _That,_ we will keep to ourselves if you don't mind.'

Eragon noticed a sort of venom in her statement.

 _Dammit! What if it is because of me? She seemed offended when I denied any relationship with her._

Murtagh stayed silent. He had heard it too. He changed the topic.

'Forgive me Arya Dröttning. I didn't mean to be so rude. I left my dwelling as soon as I received your message.'

'I have something for you to do. Fly west, towards the spine and gather information regarding the dragons. Everything you can from every town, village, city and any farmer or person who lives between here and the sea. Then travel to Ilirea and inform the king there to prepare for an attack.'

Murtagh seemed surprised.

'Aren't you going to inform me as to what happened?' Murtagh asked.

'No,' came Arya's abrupt reply, 'now do as I told you.'

Her voice still contained the coldness from before.

'Yes Dröttning,' and with that he left.

 _Dammit! Now I'm alone with her._

'Arya…'

'Yes Eragon?'

Eragon jumped in surprise. Her voice returned to the playful, calm voice she seemed to reserve just for him.

She chuckled at his reaction. His face became filled with heat.

'When I… denied… us being… _mates_ … I looked at you and you seemed… _offended_.'

She jerked her neck up towards him, which caused him to jump as she stared at him with her piercing, emerald eyes. She sighed before laying back down.

She didn't answer but instead motioned for him to go back to the bed. He did so and she wrapped her arms around him, causing him to stiffen.

'Eragon, just relax. Go to sleep. I'll explain in the morning.'

Eragon remained stiff. How could he relax? Was it possible when the beautiful elf that lay next to him was acting so strange?

He heard Arya sigh, then say his true name. He shivered. She didn't stop there. She then told him to relax in the ancient language.

Eragon's body seemed to forcibly calm down.

 _Uh Oh. She can control me like this._

However, Arya didn't stop there. She then told him to go to sleep. His eyes widened as he realised she wanted him to go to sleep. He remained awake for a few more moments before his true name overpowered him.

 **(Murtagh)**

A week had gone by since his visit to Ellesméra. He and Thorn had left for Osilon the next day. They had gone to Ceunon, Carvahall, Therinsford and Narda. All of them had been attacked. The only difference was the numbers described in Ceunon, then Carvahall. The townspeople in Ceunon had said twenty, while the townspeople from Carvahall had said twenty two. None of the soldiers in either village or town had the skill to kill two Riders on their own, so he had taken that into account too. He had set out for the capital once he reached Narda.

They had just flew over Daret and were heading towards Gil'ead. Suddenly Thorn roared in pain.

 _Thorn! What's wrong?_

 _My right wing has been pierced._

Murtagh looked towards the right and, sure enough, there was blood falling from underneath Thorn's wing. He couldn't see what it was, but when he stood up in the saddle and tried to get a better look, he saw a crossbow bolt embedded in Thorn's wing. He used magic to take it out and heal it before realising something.

 _My wards should have stopped it!_

 _Maybe it was enchanted. If it was, then we need to land and take care of this._

 _Ok._

Thorn descended quickly and Murtagh dismounted. He looked around and saw a young woman with a crossbow aimed at his head…

 **Leave a review on how I can improve.**

 **I will be gone on holiday for the next two days so I may not be able to update again for the next day or so. Anyway, thanks for reading.**


	5. Who are you?

**Chapter 5**

 **Sorry for not updating for a while. I went on holiday for a while. I could have taken my laptop but I decided to just spend time entertaining myself with things other than my favourite hobby. Anyway, I'm back now so I will be continuing to update every day.**

 **Whenever I receive a review I will reply in a private message or I will address the review before the chapter.**

 **Zion- Thanks. I realised a problem with my characters after the first chapter but I couldn't be bothered to write another chapter 1 just because of a few characters being out of place.**

 **Akracces- I will relieve you of my cruelty in this chapter. And thank you for the advice. I appreciate it.**

 **Anyway…**

 **(Arya)**

Everything will be fine Arya, _Fírnen consoled her, albeit his thoughts were flooded with grief too._

 _She looked back at Eragon leaving on the ship they were using to sail down the Edda River. Tears welled up in her eyes._

' _Fírnen-'but she couldn't bring herself to continue._

Arya… we will see them again. This isn't the end. From what I know, Saphira will eventually force him to return. _Fírnens assumption made sense to her._

 _Too distressed to speak, she used her thoughts to communicate with her dragon._

Fírnen… how long will that be? In fact, I don't understand what I feel for him. His leaving has left a large hole inside me, just like all the times we had been separated during the war. Fírnen, I don't know what he does to me but I feel… I feel… _exuberant_ around him. He filled a hole that disappeared with…

With what?

 _Arya knew the answer but she wouldn't admit it to herself, let alone Fírnen. She sighed before continuing._

He filled a hole in me that disappeared with my father and then with… Faolin.

So what does that mean? _Arya suddenly understood what Fírnen was trying to do._

No! _I don't love him!_ You are trying to make me admit something that can't be admitted. Fírnen, what would you understand about what goes on between me and him?

Everything. For the year we spent in Du Weldenvarden, you continuously brooded over him. For a whole year, he was more or less the only thing on your mind. He was the first person outside Du Weldenvarden to find out about me. You chose him to be the first to know. For you to say you don't love him is like me saying I'm black.

Fírnen, just- just- be quiet.

 _Little did she know the true extent of what she would do for him…_

Arya awoke with a start. Eragon lay next to her, in his forced sleep. She would need to use his true name to wake him up. But that time hadn't come yet. He looked peaceful. It seemed as though he hadn't slept so well for a while. Arya decided to loosen the restriction she had put on his sleep. She said his true name and then told him to sleep as much as he needed so he wouldn't be too tired after he woke up. She then moved closer to him, laid her head down on his chest with her right arm going around his waist and falling asleep again.

 **(Rya)**

Rya left Carvahall at dawn. She said farewell to a few people before heading out of town, towards Therinsford. She decided to buy a horse there and then continue onwards to Yazuac, then leave for Daret after buying supplies. She intended on arriving there before the sun set. She had a long way to go and was being somewhat ambitious with the time limit she had set herself. As long as she could buy a decent horse then she would be in Yazuac a little after noon.

She arrived at Therinsford later that morning. She looked around and saw that this village had also been attacked by the dragons. She could barely see through the fog that had covered the village. She looked around before seeing a horse and running after it. The horse saw her and was about to run, but it was too slow. Rya had jumped onto it. It wasn't tied and had no saddle. She assumed it was a stray and decided to take it. The horse was fast, but the ride was ridiculously uncomfortable. Without a saddle, the journey left her sore from the leagues they crossed from between Therinsford and Yazuac. She arrived at Yazuac a little later than she hoped.

'Hey! You are beautiful milady!' a man in front of her horse exclaimed. He seemed drunk. Rya ignored him. She felt a hand on her foot begin to tug at her. She had been caught unaware and so fell before she could react. A few hatchets fell from her belt and she quickly began to pick them up until an arm grabbed her and pulled her up. She was light so it had been easy for the drunk man to lift her.

'Come with me. I want you to do something for me,' he said groggily.

'And what might that be good sir?' she asked politely.

'Come to my home.'

Rya immediately pulled her arm out of the man's grip before using her left foot to kick up the last throwing hatchet into her hands.

The man reached for her again.

'I said I want you to come to my house,' the man repeated angrily.

Rya didn't want to attract unwanted attention. She turned back to her horse. She felt a strong hand pull her from her right shoulder. She had limited choices now and she needed to think quickly. Running would cause people to think of her as a thief. Calling out for help would get help but then that man would seek her attention. She needed to fight her way out of it. She grabbed the hand and began to squeeze it as hard as she could. Rya heard the man scream in pain. Using her left elbow, she hit him in the stomach. She released his hand and turned around to face him. He was bending over in pain. She was aware of the people watching her but couldn't care less. Her modesty was being violated by a lust-filled drunk animal. She used this moment to knee him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards in pain before falling on his back. The man clutched his bleeding face. She quickly glanced around and saw a crowd of people watching her.

She had to clear her name quickly before the empire guards clocked onto her. She would be able to take them but it wouldn't help her when she faced the king to ask him for help for her town.

'I was only trying to save myself from this lust driven man. I mean no harm to anybody else. Now, would someone kindly show me where I can buy saddles and saddlebags?'

A small child pointed towards a narrow alley.

'That way my lady.' Everyone seemed scared but this child didn't.

'Thank you,' she said before tossing him a coin.

She went quickly to the shop and bought a saddle with a bag, some large water skins to attach to the saddle bags and a lead.

Rya left Yazuac as soon as she could. She saw soldiers around the scene where the man had tried to seduce her and hastened even more.

When she was about to leave the village, she saw a shop with interesting artifacts inside. She jumped down from her saddle and made her way towards the shop. Nothing necessarily caught her attention except for a gold stick with strange markings on it. It was about seven feet long, one and a half feet taller than her.

'How much does this cost?' she asked the man behind the counter.

'I don't exactly know its worth but I guess it's around two hundred crowns, considering it is made of gold. It tried to melt it down to sell as gold bars but it doesn't melt. Whether it's magic or not, I don't know.'

Rya began taking coins out of her small bag.

'Forgive me my lady but, judging by the size of the bag, I doubt you have that many coins with you.'

'Oh don't worry, I have more than enough,' she said before smiling in amusement at the judgement of the shopkeeper.

'There, two hundred crowns,' she said, holding her hand out.

The bag still had around fifty to seventy coins inside.

'Ok. Thank you for your business.'

She dipped her head in an appreciative nod and left the shop.

 _I can use this as a staff,_ she thought to herself.

She then left for Daret. On the way, she decided to name the horse Zenith, in remembrance of her uncle.

They arrived at Daret an hour after the sun set. She found a tavern and spent the night in a rented room.

Rya left for Gil'ead early next morning. She would take the travelling easier from now. There was nothing between Gil'ead and Daret except for plains.

For the next day, she travelled. She only stopped to water Zenith and to sleep.

Rya woke up on the third morning of her journey and took some bread out from the saddlebags.

'Another day of travelling,' she said to herself.

Zenith stood up and waited patiently for Rya to climb on. She packed away the blankets she slept on and jumped onto Zenith. The horse reared before setting off at a steady run. Zenith was a fast horse and due to him, she hoped to get to Gil'ead the next day. Rya felt lonely. There was nobody to talk to, apart from Zenith who wasn't exactly the best company a person could get.

An hour later, they stopped to drink in a small stream. Zenith was beginning to tire but they continued.

After about half an hour, a large Shadow passed over them. Rya looked up and to her horror, saw a dragon with a Rider on top of it. The dragon was a blood red and was larger than the ones that had attacked Carvahall.

She immediately took out her crossbow. A normal bow wouldn't reach it. She needed range. She put five bolts inside the chamber before pulling the nut back. The chamber inserted a bolt into the gap between the nut and the stirrup. She aimed and pulled on the trigger. The bolt hit its mark and the dragon started bleeding. Rya saw the Rider stand up in his saddle and check the damage. He pulled it out with magic and healed the wound. The dragon turned around and started to descend. The Rider jumped off and looked around for Rya. She pulled the nut back before aiming the crossbow at the Riders head. She walked towards him while he turned his head to her direction.

'Who are you?' the Rider asked. He had a deep voice but she couldn't see his face because of the cloak he wore.

'Who are _you?_ ' Rya retorted. This was the first time she was speaking to a Rider.

'I will not answer any questions from you until you answer mine,' The Rider said simply.

'Fine,' Rya said before releasing the bolt. The Riders eyes widened in surprise. He quickly rolled to the side and drew his sword. It was the same colour as his dragon: red.

'I don't want to do this. Just tell me who you are and I will tell you the same. You are but a girl,' the Rider pleaded.

'I'll force it out of you then,' Rya said through clenched teeth.

She fired another bolt, then put the crossbow away and drew her swords. The Rider had been distracted by the bolt and had needed to roll to the side again. She engaged him in a duel. She tried to hit him with a strike to the side but he blocked the blow. A shower of sparks erupted from the contact of the swords. She used her left sword to strike his other side. He parried the attack and was about to land a blow of his own but needed to parry a vertical swing towards his bulky chest. She used her left sword and aimed a strike towards his head. He parried it again. In this manner, she continued to bombard the Rider with attacks. Sparks flew out every time their swords contacted with one another. The Rider was having trouble. Her dual wielding was giving her a heavy advantage.

Ten minutes into the fight, Rya cut his thigh. He recoiled and she took this opportunity to cut through his hauberk. Her sword sliced through the links and cut his hip. The Rider stumbled backwards, but didn't make the mistake of letting his guard down. Her two swords were rendering him incapable of even attempting to land a blow on her. After a few more parried strikes at him, Rya had an idea. She attached the two swords together to create a double bladed sword. She span it in her hands in circles and then attempted a blow on the Rider. He parried it but that caused his downfall. The parry allowed Rya to use the momentum to spin the sword and use the other side of the blade. She hit the red sword again and moved it out of the way, leaving his chest unguarded. She span to her left in a complete circle and drove one of the blades into the right side of his chest. The Rider groaned involuntarily and stumbled backwards.

To her left, the red dragon roared. She saw it start to run towards her. Rya did the first thing that came to her mind. She sheathed one sword, picked the man up from the ground and threw his red sword to the ground. She lifted her other sword up to his neck and decided to use him as a bait. She turned back towards the dragon, who had, by now, stopped in its tracks after seeing its Rider being used as a hostage.

He groaned in pain. Rya felt pity well up for him inside her but had to do this first.

'Tell it to back down,' she whispered into his ear.

The Rider remained silent.

'Do it!' she forced.

The dragon moved backwards and sat down.

Rya released the Rider and lay him down on his back. She then pulled his tunic off and began to heal the wounds she had inflicted on him. Rya sagged against the Rider as her strength left her.

'Now will you tell me? Or will I really have to force it out of you?' she threatened.

'Ok… I'll tell you.' He sat up.

'My name is Murtagh. I'm a Rider, half-brother of Eragon Bromsson, Shadeslayer, and Kingkiller. I-'

' _Eragon?'_ Rya interrupted. 'He _exists_?'

'Obviously! How else do you think Galbatorix died? What do you think, he fell off a cliff or something?

'No, I'm sorry. It's just that… he is the only family I am aware of that I have left. I have no cousins, uncles, aunties, parents, nothing. I don't even have a mate of any sort. My only uncle died in an attack on our town.'

'You're… a descendant of Roran Stronghammer?'

'Yes. Why? Did you know him?'

'Not too well. However, he is my cousin. How are you so good with a sword? Eragon has trouble subduing me. How did you do it so flawlessly? I didn't even get a chance to attempt a blow.'

'Well… I had two swords. I was also driven by anger,' she replied.

'Anger?' he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Rya sighed before explaining, 'Riders attacked our town. I set out for Ilirea to report it to the king.'

'Which town?' Murtagh asked.

'Carvahall,' Rya told him.

'How many Riders came?' Murtagh inquired.

'Twenty two. I killed two before they retreated,' Rya explained.

Understanding seemed to dawn on Murtagh.

'Oh. Well that makes sense then. The townspeople at Carvahall said twenty two while the people at Ceunon said twenty. I didn't know how because of how bad the skill of the empire army is. Now I see that it was you who killed them.'

Murtagh stayed silent for a time before asking, would you like to come with me to Ilirea? I will arrive there tomorrow. It will be much faster than horseback. Don't worry about your horse. He can live in these plains. There are a few herds of horses around and there is plenty of for him.'

Rya thought for a bit. She would get to Ilirea faster if she went with Murtagh. She would also be able to eventually meet Eragon, wherever he was…

'Ok. I'll accompany you to Ilirea,' she decided.

'Good. We'll leave for Gil'ead now and leave the city for Ilirea tomorrow morning.'

 **(Eragon)**

Eragon woke up and felt amazing. He had just had the best sleep in his entire life. He had used the best mattress in Alagaesia to sleep on.

 _Wait… whose mattress?_

Alarm coursed through him as he remembered the events of last night. He felt movement on his waist. He looked down and froze as he saw Arya with her head on his chest and her arm around his waist. Arya had put him to sleep with his true name. He tried to relax but with the beautiful elf on him made it seem like a joke. He tried to breathe to calm himself but nothing was working. He looked down at the elf and saw that her right leg was draped over the lower part of his torso, and her other leg was covering the fork of his legs.

He also abruptly realised that her chest was pressed against the left side of his own. His face became filled with heat and he unexpectedly felt his length begin to prod her through their attire.

He froze in apprehension of what may happen when Arya woke up. He shivered in distress as Arya began to laugh without any form or sort of warning.

His felt leggings were now shaped like a tent. Eragon felt immobilised as Arya began to reach out towards it. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried to stop her with his hands but he couldn't move.

Arya giggled and he forced his body to suppress a moan as Arya's hand stroked his member through the clothes. He couldn't and instead, he sounded like a donkey. This caused Arya to laugh harder than he had ever seen her do so.

He strained his body to allow him to speak.

'Arya… please don't…' each word was taking a ludicrous amount of effort. His length was beginning to hurt because of the leggings. It threatened to tear through his clothes.

'Arya… please. Please don't.'

Arya didn't seem to hear him but she let go after a moment.

She sighed before simply saying, 'Wiol ono.'

 **Got somewhat carried away at the end and I just managed to realise that this chapter has been pretty long.**

 **Anyway, as per usual, I will appreciate it a lot if you leave a review.**


	6. Gil'ead

**Chapter 6**

 **(Eragon)**

 _What is she thinking!? She just_ touched _me!_

Arya looked sad. She had just made his trousers into a tent. It was still shaped like one but less conspicuous.

 _I need to find out what is up with her._

He brought all his courage together and asked Arya a question which would surely make her tear him apart but he needed to know.

'Arya… why are you doing this?'

'Doing what?'

'These… _things,_ ' he said cautiously.

'What things Eragon?'

Realisation struck him hard. _She's trying to make me say it all! She knows I'm beating around the bush._

He steeled his self before saying, 'When I first came, you didn't let me even say the traditional greeting of the elves. Last night, you dragged me into the room. You watched me while I wasn't wearing anything. You looked offended when I denied a relationship to Murtagh. You're wearing the most immodest clothes I've seen you in. When Murtagh was here, your voice was of a cold nature, however, when he left, it returned to one you reserve just for me.'

He sighed before continuing, 'and, just now, you… you know what happened. Please explain this to me. The Arya I knew before I left Alagaesia is gone. Now, I hardly understand you.'

He waited for a response and when none came he thought he had finally broke the limit, until she started to speak.

'Eragon, I-' she took a breath before asking, 'will you not wait?'

Eragon shook his head. He needed to know, even if it would be the end of him.

'Eragon, when you left, I was so distressed that my true name changed. Had it not been for Fírnen, I would have lost my sanity. The only time I had felt like that had been when Fírnen and my father had died. I thought I would go insane without a proper purpose. Being a queen is not what I want… I want you Eragon.' The last four words were just a whisper but he had managed to hear them and they shook his very being.

She hadn't finished.

'Eragon, I love you,' he jerked backwards and fell off the bed but she didn't stop, 'I never want to be separated from you again. The hole you left in my soul didn't refill itself until I saw you on the cliff. I try to picture you without me but I can't.'

Eragon stood up but then the weight of what she said sagged on his shoulders like a burden heavier than Saphira. He collapsed onto the bed.

He heard a voice in his head, _Congratulations little one, it seems you finally did manage to find your way into her heart._

Eragon hadn't noticed Saphira in his mind but he guessed that the power of the emotions he was feeling at that moment caused him to allow her into his mind.

He didn't block her off, instead he simply thanked her but she left of her own accord.

'I'm sorry if you don't feel the same way about me but I wanted to show my feelings towards through what I did before I confessed it, but it seemed to make you impatient with questions. I really am sorry for the things I did to you. A dragon once told me about how broken people cannot be broken.'

Eragon immediately understood she was talking about Saphira.

'Arya, you don't have anything to be sorry about. My lust driven young mind didn't understand the war raging on around us and I was being selfish in assuming that we could have a relationship and ignore the people that needed our help. No… I'm sorry.'

Arya had her face twisted in an unusual way before she leaped forwards and grabbed Eragon into a tight embrace. His eyes widened as he felt her lips pressed firmly into his own. She was about to pull away but Eragon grabbed her before she could do so and began reacting accordingly to what she was doing. He felt a tidal wave of satisfaction. For the last two centuries, this was all he dreamed of doing and it had felt like a far-fetched dream until now. He had the most beautiful elf in the forest begging entry into his mouth which he gave to her. Eragon suddenly felt a hand sliding up his tunic and he groaned before Arya continued to work her magic on him…

 **(Rya)**

Gil'ead was by far the largest civilisation she had ever seen. She stared at it for a few minutes in awe before Murtagh turned around in the saddle.

'You didn't have to kill the horse you know. We could have left him there. Whether or not it would have survived would have been its own problem but to pull out your crossbow and kill it just like that is just wrong,' he said as he shook his head.

She shrugged her shoulders.

'Dot you even feel an ounce of remorse in you?' he asked, disgusted.

'Not really. I only had it for a few days,' she replied quickly.

'So you're saying that just because you didn't know it well, it deserved to die?' his voice growing ever louder.

'No. You forget why I did it. We needed food for Thorn,' she replied growing angry at his forgetfulness.

'Thorn could have gone for a few hours without food but for you to mercilessly kill a horse like that? Can you explain to me what you felt when you killed it? How you killed it deprived of a second thought?'

Rya could make out the anger in his voice.

'Am I answerable to you?'

'I-'

'AM I ANSWERBLE TO YOU?'

Murtagh was surprised at her sudden outburst.

'No,' he replied quietly.

'So stay quiet,' she said in her usually kind voice.

Murtagh appeared to be startled at her abrupt variation of moods. She felt Thorn rumble beneath her and make a peculiar noise.

'Is he Ok?' she asked, anxiously.

'Yes… he's laughing,' he explained.

Rya giggled and turned her attention back towards Gil'ead.

They flew over the houses, shops and streets, towards a tavern near the middle of the city.

'We'll have to jump off him,' she heard Murtagh exclaim.

'Ok.'

Thirty seconds later, she felt Murtagh's hand close around her and he turned right in the saddle so his legs were dangling off the side of Thorn. Thorn was now only a few feet off the ground in a large courtyard.

'Now!' Murtagh shouted before jumping off and pulling her off with him.

They both landed and rolled to supress the fall. Rya stood up and dusted herself of any dirt that may have attached to her cloak during the roll. She looked to her left and saw Murtagh do the same.

'The sun is setting. We'll go to the tavern and leave at first light. Thorn has gone to the dragonhold of the city so we don't need to worry about him. I would have gone to any tavern on the edge of the city but because you're here I decided to use this one.'

'Thank you very much,' she said in a sarcastic tone and curtsied. Her motives caused him to blush and he turned away quickly.

'This way,' he called out, still facing away.

They walked towards a large building with a hanging sign which read _The White Horse._

The floor of the tavern was made of marble along with the pillars. The walls were made of polished granite. There were stairs leading up on both the right and the left side of the room, both spiralling up and meeting together at the top which overlooked the lobby on a balcony. Rya guessed the corridors on the next floor were where the rooms for the guests were. There was also a wide corridor leading into a hall which she guessed to be the drinking section of the tavern. There were paintings on the walls, most of them with a man with a blue dragon next to him. Rya had seen many pictures with the man on it but nobody she knew had much of an idea of who it was.

Murtagh walked up to the counter on the far side of the room.

'One room with two beds for one night please,' Murtagh said to the man behind it.

'Yes sir, that will be four thousand crowns,' the man said.

 _Four thousand crowns!_

Murtagh was about to make the payment but she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her.

'Are you sure you want to make this ridiculous payment just for me?' she whispered.

'I'd pay more if I needed to,' he said humbly, and he turned back to make the transaction.

Rya let him do as he pleased and they both turned around to go up the stairs. They could stay in any room that wasn't occupied. They headed up the stairs and towards a room. Rya was sure that this was only for the most elite of Gil'ead to stay in. the room they entered was decorated lavishly. It contained two fine beds, a table, a washroom with toiletries inside and the floor was made of marble. There was a large pillar in the middle of the room. Rya relieved herself of her weapons and armour. She desperately needed a bath.

'Do you mind if I take a bath Murtagh?' she asked.

'No of course not. Go ahead,' he answered.

Rya went in and filled the tub with hot water. She locked the door closed and entered the bath. It felt soothing and reminded her of Carvahall. This was the first bath she was having after the beginning of her journey and she was sure that Murtagh would make sure she got the same kind of wash every time. But why? Why did he say he would pay more if he needed to? Why did he come here, ruling out all the other taverns in the city and coming to the most expensive one there was? Rya honestly couldn't care less. She was enjoying herself in a bath, comforted by the idea that she was with a Rider, reassured that he was also from among her family, and also pleased to know that she had another family member alive.

She spent the next hour in the tub and when she felt the water begin to go cold, she got out and began to dry herself. She looked at her clothes and saw them for what they were: dirty.

She hadn't thought to bring another set of clothes in with her. She unlocked and opened the door slightly, still aware she had no clothes on. Murtagh was facing away from the door and so she used magic to bring her a set of clothes from the bag Zenith gave her.

'Kuasta,' she whispered and a pair of leggings and a tunic flew towards her.

She felt a reduction in her strength but it was hardly an amount to worry about. She started putting on her clothes when she heard two voices outside the room. A clattering sound came from the room Murtagh was in and Rya hastened her changing.

Once she was clothed, she walked out of the room and saw two men inside, both duelling Murtagh at once. Murtagh was holding pretty well considering the disadvantage he had with the numbers. However, he couldn't get many opportunities to land blows of his own. Rya needed to help him. She looked towards her pile of possessions in one corner of the room. The men hadn't heard her yet so she started to walk towards it. One of them saw her out of the corner of his eye and shouted to his companion something she couldn't make out due to the clattering of swords. She needed to get to her weapons swiftly but one of the large men stood in her way. His face was covered by his hood but she could sense an aura of power around him. She had no desire to engage him without an armament. Behind him were her swords but they would be a problem to reach. The room wasn't wide enough for her to skirt around him and retrieve them. Rya tried to look for another possible solution but she only had one. The gold stick she had bought in Yazuac was propped up against a wall. She could try and use it to defend herself, but the only way she could reach it was with magic.

'Kuasta,' she said. The stick flew towards her and she caught it in mid-air. She positioned herself in a fighting stance and advanced towards the man. He seemed to have been surprised when she had used magic, nevertheless, he walked towards her.

The man attempted the first blow but Rya battered the sword aside and continued to pivot the staff, causing it to hit the man's face. His guard dropped and she used this time to batter him a few more times before jumping back. She had made sure that the hits she had landed had been on parts of the body he would need to defend himself. She launched another series of blows, two of which he managed to parry, the rest of which battered him apart. The last blow knocked the sword out of his hand, sending it several feet away.

A smirk crawled onto Rya's face as she abused him into unconsciousness. She entered his mind while he was in his pain forced sleep. She learned that he was a Rider whose dragon had been slayed by an elf and he had gone seeking out the one who had killed his friend in Carvahall: Rya. She then ended his life with a final, fatal blow to the head.

Murtagh walked towards her with the head of the person he had been duelling.

'They have been following us for a while. According to this one,' he said, motioning towards the head in his hands, 'they are the ones who attacked Du Weldenvarden whose dragons had been killed.'

'I figured just about the same from this bastard,' she replied.

Murtagh sighed. 'We need to clean the blood and hide the bodies until we leave in the morning. We leave as quickly and anonymously as we can. No unwanted attention. Who knows if we are still being tracked by anymore of them? They seem pretty well trained so I wouldn't expect you to manage to handle one on your own again.'

'I handled you,' she retorted.

'I'm different. I wasn't hell bent on slaughtering you. They were. Now don't be proud. Pride will lead you to the void faster than you would have hoped if you had too much of it.'

He then went over to the body of the one he slew and hid it in one of the wardrobes. Rya did the same and they both went to their respective beds to get enough sleep for the journey tomorrow.

 **A review will be much appreciated. Also, thanks to all of those who added this story to their favourites. It means a lot to me.**


	7. Ilirea

**Chapter 7**

 **Sorry this chapter is a day late. My internet was playing up and so, I couldn't upload the chapter.**

 **#TalkTalk is crap. Spread the word. Lol. It's a joke. Please don't.**

 **(Eragon)**

'I don't think… you'll ever… understand… h… how… long I have… waited… for you to… to do something… like that to… to _me_ ,' Eragon said through his laboured breathing. Arya lay on top of him and was doing the same. They had spent all day in the room. The sun was about to set. She was about to stand up but then locked his lips with hers. They pulled away, gasping for air and Arya was about to start again.

'Arya?'

'Yes iet Shur'tugal?'

'Did you mean what you said to me this morning?' he questioned.

'Yes. Every word of it.'

She then said his true name and repeated everything that she had said that morning in the ancient language.

She then continued with her kissing until Eragon realised what she wanted.

'Arya… please give me a break. I'm only a hybrid elf. Not a full one like you. I don't have that much stamina. I'm sore from…' he thought of a word to describe what had happened, 'the last… session.'

She laughed before giving him her own energy.

'How about now?' she asked teasingly.

'Don't you have duties to fulfil as queen?'

'And what about the duties towards my mate?'

He groaned before giving in to her lust.

 **(Rya)**

Murtagh woke up later then her but the sun still hadn't risen. They decided to leave earlier than they first planned as it would ruin anymore assassination plans on them if anyone had eavesdropped on them the night before. They unlocked the door so the tavern owners would still find their keys. They then jumped out of the window on the other side of the room. After landing, Rya saw a shadow flit across the street towards them. He had a large, two-handed cleaver in his hands.

 _He wasn't expecting this,_ she thought to herself. Murtagh hadn't noticed the man but she had. She immediately pulled her bow off from her back and took an arrow out from her giant quiver. She took aim but before she fired at the attacker, he saw her and jumped behind a wagon filled with wheat and other crops.

Murtagh was looking at her in an odd way.

'What are you aiming at?' he asked.

'There's someone behind that wagon,' she said, pointing towards where the man was hiding.

Murtagh shook his head.

'Someone desperately wants us dead. This is third assassin we are about to encounter. If we run we may be able to make it into the open before he reaches us.'

Rya still had her bow aimed at the wagon. Murtagh then turned around and ran towards the courtyard of the tavern. Rya did the same but she saw something fly past her face while she ran. Whatever it was, it had only missed her by less than an inch. She made it into the courtyard and looked back. The pursuer had stopped but was still hidden by the shadows.

'We need to speed up and reach Thorn before we run into anymore,' she whispered to Murtagh, still aware that the man was still standing and watching them. Murtagh remained silent and was staring with an unfocused demeanour.

'Thorn is coming,' he said randomly.

'Really? How do you know?' she asked in astonishment.

'Riders use mental communication to converse with their dragons. We can also speak like this and they will understand us, but we can't understand them without communicating mentally,' he explained. The assassin had gone by then.

Two minutes later, Thorn landed in the courtyard. They got onto him and they began the final stretch of the journey to Ilirea.

 **(Arya)**

'Please Arya… I'm _begging_ you! Please not again.'

They had just gone for the third time and he was begging her not to have a fourth "session".

'Why do you torture me so? I enjoy this but I am sore and tired,' he complained.

'I don't care,' she stated firmly.

'Where do you get so much energy from?' he asked bewildered.

'I don't know. I just use it,' she answered playfully. She then ran her finger up and down his chest muscles, outlining each one with her finger. He was much bulkier than elves, and she liked that about him. He wasn't like other elves. He had a shape which resembled strength. She continued tracing her fingers around each muscle and made her way towards the ones under his armpit.

Eragon squealed.

'Ticklish are we? I didn't think you would be. Maybe I could tickle you into submission?' she asked menacingly.

'No you won't, you minx,' he retorted, worry evident in his voice.

She grinned before making him laugh and writhe uncomfortably. He tried his very best to make her stop but his lack in strength didn't allow him to.

The only words that could escape from his mouth while he laughed were, "please stop".

During her entertainment, she kept on saying, 'How about now? Will you give in now?'

After a minute of forced laughing, Eragon gave in to his dominant mate.

'Ok! Fine I'll do what you want! Please stop!'

She stopped her assault on his body and then started to fulfil her desires again… for the fourth time.

 **(Rya)**

Ilirea was threefold larger than Gil'ead and she was staring at the city beneath her. They had arrived in the capital four hours before sunset. Thorn was attracting the cities attention with his magnificent red scales. Rya could see the palace and it took her breath away. She had only heard descriptions of the royal palace but she had never thought of it to be like this. It was made of gold which people had said had been supplied by the dwarves after the war. There were several entrances but the main one was the most grand of them all. It was framed in diamond and had doors made of reinforced gold doors with rubies, emeralds and sapphires gilded into them.

The doorway seemed large enough to allow Thorn to fly in easily. The dragon did just that and landed in front of a large throne.

Murtagh leaped off and so did Rya. In front of them was a throne which vibrated with colours. It almost seemed like it was constantly changing.

 _Probably done by magic,_ she assumed.

Murtagh dipped his head in respect though he did not go into a full bow.

The king started the conversation.

'Greetings Murtagh, Rider of Thorn Brisingrskular. To what do I owe the pleasure of having one of the heroes of old in my throne room?'

'Greetings your majesty. I have come to warn you about an attack that is to be prepared for. Some of your cities have been attacked already. Lady Arya of the elves has sent me to be,' Murtagh said respectfully.

The king laughed. Rya was shocked.

'How could you?' she asked him disgustedly. 'Your cities, towns and villages have been attacked by these Riders and now we have come to warn you and you _laugh_? Don't you have any remorse?'

The king suddenly became angry. 'HOW DARE YOU? You come into _my_ throne room and ask me questions that you have no right to ask? You challenge my authority?'

Rya was filled with rage. 'I have every right to ask. Am I not one of the people entrusted into your rule? So why shouldn't I-'

'SHUT YOUR GOB BEFORE I FILL IT WITH SHITE! DO YOU HEAR ME?' the king was standing.

Rya was about to continue arguing but Murtagh grabbed her shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak but she shrugged him off and continued.

'I TRAVELLED OVER TWO HUNDRED LEAGUES TO COME AND CONVEY THIS INFORMATION TO YOU! I DUELLED WITH AND BEAT A RIDER! DO EVERYTIHING YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOUR PEOPLE NOW!' she shouted.

The king spat on the floor. 'I am more important than my people you bastard.'

Rya was a colossal mess when she became angry. Her first meeting with the king would leave her with a powerful enemy. She drew an arrow from her quiver, used her bow to aim it next to the king's head and fired. The arrow hit the throne next to his skull. Rya drew her bow back a second time and this time aimed the bow at his forehead.

'The next arrow goes through your hollow head. Do _you_ hear _me_?' she asked through clenched teeth. 'Or are you as thick as soup to ignore such a threat since you are such a great king? I doubt I can do much if you laugh at the face of Riders who are all hell bent on killing everything they find.'

The king was wide eyed. The guards in the room had all drawn their swords. Murtagh was looking at her in dismay. She had ruined the counsel he had sought with the king with her temper. But she couldn't care less. She wanted this maggot spawn to do something right for his people.

'Kill her!' the pig shouted.

She turned around and shot the arrow at whoever she saw first. Murtagh had drawn his sword and was standing in a fighting stance.

Two guards started running towards her. She threw two hatchets and they both fell to the floor.

Rya then drew her swords and prepared for combat. They would be against the entire army of the empire. The true magnitude of what she had done dawned upon her. They would be against the best and the worst the king had to offer.

'You stupid girl! Why did you do this? You couldn't keep your anger contained?'

'Well what? It was wrong!' Rya protested. Twenty guards came in through the door.

'These are my best soldiers. They will make the two of you wish you had never started this conversation,' the king called from behind them.

A moment later, the warriors were buried in a red inferno. Thorn cleaved apart the few that had survived his jet of blazes.

'Climb onto Thorn,' Murtagh shouted through the screams from the burning soldiers, 'he'll keep you safe.'

'Where are you going?' she asked worriedly.

'To get the two eggs entrusted to Ilirea. After today, I doubt he will take kindly to the Riders; I need to get the eggs otherwise the new Riders will be jeopardised.'

He then sprinted off towards the king and stood in front of him while he writhed with a look of pain on his face. She jumped onto the huge dragon before looking back Murtagh then ran off towards one of the doors. Five minutes later, he returned holding two eggs: one white, the other black. He put them into Thorn's saddlebags and Thorn kicked off the ground.

'Brace yourself!' Murtagh shouted.

Rya did as she was told while Thorn broke through the ceiling. Gold bricks were falling as Rya held onto Murtagh. Thorn flew through one more floor and then flew through a wall and out of the palace. They then started the journey to Du Weldenvarden while on the face of every wall in the empire's cities.

'I guess we won't be using Gil'ead to arrive at our destination,' Murtagh said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

She agreed, as Thorn flew off into the sunset: to the forest of the elves.

 **(Eragon)**

Eragon lay panting on the bed. He had tried to escape the wrath of his lover seven times after she found out about him being ticklish. They only stopped twice. For Eragon to eat. He tried to eat slowly so as to regain his strength and find a method of escape but both times Arya got fed up and started feeding him herself, then dragged him back to the bed. With his ticklishness and his true name to her disposal, he was hers. He couldn't complain about the pleasure but he needed to stop.

'Arya… please don't… not again,' he pleaded. 'I am a Rider. I have two students they haven't been taught anything for a while. I don't even know if they've arrived in Ellesméra. The last time I saw them was at Gilderien the wises' post at the edge of the city. I need to teach them Arya. They're Riders. So am I. You're a queen. You're not without you're duties either. Please… I'm begging you, please, just this once, let me go.'

'Promise me that you will return tonight,' she conditioned.

'It's day again? How much longer did you want to keep me?'

'Promise me!' It didn't seem as though she was willing to let him go easily.

'I promise,' he said in the ancient language.

'Now leave. And do what you need to. You have five days until you leave… and I will be joining you.'

'We've spent two days here?' he cried in unbelief.

'Yes. Why? Didn't you notice?' she asked in amusement.

'No, but please, don't take me through that again. Now I'm finding it hard to move.'

'Fine. But leave quickly before I give in to myself.'

Eragon limped painfully towards his clothes and put them on. They felt suddenly warm on him after being cloth less for such a long time.

He walked towards the door and reached for the handle, but felt a hand close around his.

'Too slow.'

Dread crept all over Eragon.

'Just joking,' and she let him go.

Eragon spent the rest of the week training the twins, and spent every night with Arya. On his seventh day in Ellesméra, he was expecting Murtagh, but he didn't arrive. He needed a report before he set out to locate the Riders. The last he heard of Murtagh was of him in Ilirea and an outlaw throughout the empire, along with his new companion whom Murtagh didn't tell him about. According to the king, they rudely stormed into his throne room, and demanded answers with a "disgusting demeanour". From what Eragon knew of Murtagh, he wouldn't do anything to provoke other nations into a feud with the Riders.

'Maximus, always keep your guard up. You'll be hacked to pieces the way you currently spar,' Eragon scolded his student.

'I'm sorry Ebrithil, it's just that, I think I can see Master Thorn, and master Murtagh,' he protested.

Eragon spun on his heels and looked into the sky. Sure enough, there was a dragon that looked as though it was a flaming rock, flying towards a battlement after being launched by a catapult.

Eragon cracked his knuckles. _They have a lot of questions to answer,_ he said to Saphira, who was teaching Sunset and Sunrise.

 _I'm quite sure he had a reason for angering King Harlem,_ she replied _. You'll see._

 _He'd better…_

 **Leave a review. I know I made Arya's behaviour seem weird, but I needed something to happen to Eragon while he waited for Murtagh to return.**

 **I'm going to upload this chapter as soon as my router is back online.**

 **I'm going to be getting a new broadband set,so I won't be updating for a while.**


	8. Dragon Rider

**Chapter 8**

 **I'm back. Took a while for the router to arrive, but it's here now and I'll continue updating the story regularly.**

 **Also, thanks to Shadow Wolf Dreamer and Sebastiaan Asselbergs for reviewing.**

 **I also don't appreciate repeated reviews, so whoever is anonymous, don't do it again, unless you're two different people who just** _ **happened**_ **to give the exact same review under the exact same name.**

 **This chapter is going to also be a little shorter than the others for reasons I'll keep to myself. This chapter will also be a bit hollow. I feel kind of lazy as of now and can't be bothered to spend four hours thinking hard over a plot**

 **(Eragon)**

'Hello brother,' Eragon started.

'Hello,' Murtagh replied, jumping down from Thorn.

'I hear you were about to start a brawl with the kings soldiers. Is this true?' he asked, cutting straight to the chase.

'I have a reason,' Murtagh countered.

'And I also see you've brought someone with you. You also happen to have the two eggs given to Ilirea. Do you have reasons for this too?' Eragon saw Murtagh take a deep breath before giving his account of the incidents.

'Firstly, I'll introduce you to Rya. She is a descendant of Roran Stronghammer. Basically, the only family you have left,' Murtagh clarified.

Eragon took a glance towards Rya. She was slightly shorter than her, and had a ludicrous amount of weapons for any normal woman.

Murtagh didn't give him time to speak with her and continued, 'I found her on the way to Ilirea. She mistook me for a rouge Rider, and attacked me just off of Daret. She managed to kill two Riders on her own, when Carvahall was attacked.'

Eragon looked at her again, but this time, with an impressed look on his face.

Murtagh sighed before continuing, 'It will be a lot easier to just show you the rest of what happened.'

Saying this, Eragon felt a mental probe poke at his mind and he granted Murtagh's conscience admittance into his mind.

He then felt a rush of memories and how Murtagh felt when they happened. Eragon's eyes widened when he saw how rashly Rya had behaved with the king. He also saw the duel between Murtagh and Rya outside Daret and decided to stay on friendly terms with her. He also saw the battle in the tavern. He also saw how Murtagh looked at Rya, but tried his best to keep it hidden.

'Hmm. Well, you did what you had to do and I will not blame you for that.'

Eragon then turned to Rya. He looked at her for a while.

 _No wonder Murtagh has those feelings for her,_ Saphira commented. _Any normal human would fall for her._

Eragon didn't want to agree with her opinion of his distant relative. He shrugged off the thought and started to speak.

'Greetings lady Rya. I am Eragon. Rider of Saphira Brightscales. I have seen much of what you have done, and not all of the things you did were the very best decisions you could have made, but I am impressed. I have seen, through Murtagh the skill you have with a sword. I believe there are only two people I know of that could best you.'

A smile crept across her face and she bowed deeply.

'Thank you,' she replied humbly.

Before Eragon could continue, a small tapping noise came from where Thorn was sitting. It reminded Eragon of the time when Saphira hatched. He then heard a crack. Rya was also looking towards Thorn. Eragon smiled widely.

'And it also seems as though you are about to be a dragon Rider.'

Rya shot an apprehensive look towards him.

'Am I? I don't want to be a dragon Rider! I've seen what they do! The only nice dragon I've seen is Thorn.'

A throaty rumble came from Saphira and Eragon laughed.

'A dragon behaves according to how the Riders raises it. If you are evil, it will learn evil things. If you are good natured and want to make the world a better place, then it will also.'

Rya then started to walk towards the hollow behind Thorn. She bent into a squat, then reached forward to touch the dragon. She then jumped back, as Eragon realised the mark of the Riders being implanted onto her skin.

 **Don't leave a review. I know this is by far, the worst chapter I could possibly write. If you really want to, make sure it is about the plot, not about the style of my writing.**


	9. Konungr abr Alfakyn

**Chapter 9**

 **A/N Thanks to Shadow Wolf Dreamer and Sebastiaan Asselbergs. I know I said not to leave a review, but thanks anyway. They made me feel better.**

 **(Rya)**

A white mark was embedded in her left hand. It was shaped like a spiral.

The dragon in front of her was as brilliant as the mark. Its scales shone like milk as a replacement for the sea during a sunset. Rya warily reached her hand out towards the infant dragon. It eyed her curiously before taking a step towards her. By now, Rya felt tears begin to brim in her eyes.

She felt someone place a hand on her right shoulder. She turned her head, fighting back the tears. It was Eragon.

'Awe inspiring. Isn't it? This is the first hatching I've witnessed after Saphira's. Even the wild dragons hatched without me countersigning them. It truly is a moment of wonder,' he stated with a smile on his face.

Rya simply nodded, too overwhelmed by the reality of the situation to even speak. There was a constellation of tears on her lashes. Eragon reached out towards her face and wiped the tears off of her.

'Rya. You now need to understand the responsibility you now have over the people of Alagaesia.' His voice was gentle, as if he was speaking to a child.

'If you don't mind, I would like to enlist you as my new apprentice dragon, once he grows old enough to carry you. I won't need to train you too hard on the swordsmanship side too much. Just on the magic side of things.'

'Thank you,' Rya whispered in reply.

'Now you just need a name for him.'

The dragon lapped at her face, causing her to laugh through her crying.

'I name him… Moonstone, after the colour of his scales.'

Eragon then stood up, and asked her to follow him.

'Rya… I'm sorry for being so distant from you. I know that I am one of the only family members you have left, but I didn't necessarily have a choice. You see, I'm going against fate with my existence in Alagaesia. I was supposed to leave and never come back, due to a prophecy and two curses I received, one from a soldier, and one from a creature called Ra'zac. I didn't have any means by which to contact you. The death of your parents was a tragedy, and I understand you needed someone to pick you up, I'm glad your uncle was there for you.'

Rya was shocked with what he had just said. She had told no one but… _Murtagh._

Eragon saw the surprise on her face, and seemed to know exactly what had caused it.

He laughed before explaining how he knew.

'Murtagh showed me everything he knew about you, and everything you showed him,' he then leaned closer to her ear.

'In fact,' he whispered, 'Murtagh is looking at you in a way that I'm sure you would be intrigued to know about.'

She then felt another conscience press itself against her mind. Rya immediately threw barriers up around her mind. The mental probe didn't seem to be intent on attacking her mind, and so, she allowed it into her after realising it was Eragon. She then felt a wave of memories and emotions rush over her. After a while the torrent slowed down. Eragon's conscience then showed her an image of how Murtagh was staring at her.

He seemed to be in a dreamy state. Rya immediately recognised the guise on his face, it spelt lust.

She whipped her head around and caught Murtagh in that demeanour before he jumped back and stumbled off the rock he was seated on.

Eragon chuckled to himself. Moonstone suddenly gurgled in an awkward fashion and his tongue was lolling. Rya looked at Eragon in a questioning manner.

'He's hungry,' he explained.

'Well what do they eat?'

'Meat. From every type of animal except for insects. Fish, birds, four legged animals, everything. They even eat humans and elves if the Riders grant them permission. Dragons can go for days after eating about three cows. In Saphira's case, make that twenty. She's a large dragon, of two hundred years. She needs a lot of food. However, if she manages to eat that many, she can go without food for about half a year. In the case of your dragon, a few strips should be enough. Next week, he should be able to hunt for himself.'

'Where shall I get food for it now?' Rya asked worriedly. She knew from Zenith's lessons that the elves never killed animals for food.

'Oh. Why Saphira will hunt for him. Won't you?' he asked, poking the side of his dragons head.

Saphira grunted before flying off to find food for the hatchling.

'How long will she be?'

Rya had no intention of prolonging the suffering of the new-born.

'Count to three.'

'What?'

'Too late to count. Saphira's already coming back.'

A moment later, a small gazelle fell on the floor next to her. Saphira circled the three of them before landing gracefully by her Rider's side. Rya lay Moonstone down in front of her and stroked his scales. The dragon lazily walked over towards the gazelle. He sniffed it, then took a cautious bite. It seemed to like it and began to devour the rest of the animal.

Eragon abruptly jumped backwards and swore in pain.

'What's wrong?'

'Ah nothing. Saphira's crying. Dragons have tears and blood which is outrageously searing. If it falls on you, it will leave a terrible burn. This is the first time _I_ have seen her cry since… Oromis's death.' The last two words were barely audible.

He continued quickly before she could ask any questions.

'Rya, after Moonstone has finished eating, Saphira will take you to the palace where sleeping arrangements will be made for you. I have to attend the court of the queen for the first time since I have come here. I need to make a good impression by being there early,' and with that, he sprinted out of the clearing into the tree line.

 **(Eragon)**

Tialdari hall came into his field of view. He hastened his sprint.

 _First time I'll speak to Arya in front of her subjects,_ he thought to himself.

Eragon walked in through the huge doorway and walked straight towards the throne room.

He could see that the door was open. Eragon took a deep breath before walking into the room. There were several elves seated along the sides on raised platforms. He looked up at Arya. He immediately looked back down to the floor to stop any activity down below.

He made the traditional twist with his hand, and initiated the elven greeting.

After which, he kept his head bowed respectfully. He knew that he was her mate, but the other elves didn't know that yet.

'Shadeslayer, why do you display such a profound amount of modesty in my throne room towards me? Even as you are the lead Rider?' she asked.

'I am in the presence of royalty. I am the lead Rider, however, I am a leader. Not a king, which automatically ranks you as higher than me,' he replied humbly.

'But you are royalty,' and then in the ancient language continued, 'the elves should now recognise you as _Konungr abr alfakyn_. I have taken you as a mate. Why do you come here and embarrass me in front of our subjects by bowing your head?'

Eragon jumped as she just said, in the ancient language, that he now ruled over the elves along with the dragons. This now made him and Saphira the most powerful beings in and around Alagaesia. With the ruling of the two most powerful races in Alagaesia, he was untouchable in status. He was closely linked with the humans and the humans in Surda. He was part of the Durgrimst Ingeitum, giving him outside priority over the dwarves. He was also close to the Urgals due to there being many of them as Riders.

Eragon suddenly heard Lord _Däthedr pipe into the conversation._

 _'Your majesty! How could you take_ _him_ _as your mate?' Eragon heard disgust in the voice of the elven lord._

 _Eragon turned towards him. There was an offended look on his face. Eragon gave him a sour look before opening his mouth but didn't get a chance to speak._

 _Arya got up from her throne and walked towards the elf._

 _'Do you have any problems with my choice?' she asked with a deceivingly calm tone._

 _'Yes! I-'_

 _Eragon yelped in surprise as the elf hurtled towards him through the air from a blow from Arya's forehand. He managed to jump out of the way before the Lord of Silthrim landed next to his feet. Däthedr spat blood out of his mouth before making to get up._

 _'Letta,' Arya said, causing him to seize movement._

'I ask you again, do you have any problems with my choice Däthedr?'

'N- No… your majesty,' Däthedr spluttered.

Arya released the spell, allowing him to move freely again.

She walked back to her throne and sat down. Eragon simply gaped. He hadn't seen Arya do something anything like that since she had done it to Albriech during Elain's birth giving.

'Now then... where were we?'

 **A/N Leave a review. This chapter is longer than yesterday but it is still shorter than usual. I am intending on doing about twenty chapters until something I will do which I have been preparing for a long time.**


	10. Swordplay

**Chapter 10**

 **I'm sorry I couldn't upload a chapter yesterday: I had guests round and I didn't find it reasonable to spend time typing when I should be entertaining them.**

 **(Rya)**

Rya hadn't, until then, fully comprehended how large Saphira really was. Moonstone had had a lot of trouble with getting onto the majestic blue dragon. Saphira had opened her mind to Rya and so, they both communicated during the flight. They both conversed over many subjects leisurely while both making an attempt to make the other laugh.

After about half an hour, Rya could see a small clearing, and a large palace like structure.

 _Saphira, is that Tialdari hall?_ She asked.

 _Yes. It looks magnificent doesn't it? When compared to anything the dwarves and humans can make, it is considered as the most beautiful_

Saphira paused for a while. _My Rider is just below us. Do you want me to take you to him?_

 _Ok._

Saphira began descending and landed neatly in front of Eragon. He had a peculiar expression on his face.

'Hello uncle!' Rya greeted.

'Uncle? Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot you needed to call me something. I guess uncle is fine.' He then sighed exasperatedly.

'What's wrong?' she asked worriedly.

'Ah nothing. I don't want to burden you with any of my problems,' he answered selflessly.

Rya groaned in an irritated method. 'Your problems are mine. Now tell me what is wrong.'

'Arya is acting strangely. Her behaviour is confusing me more and more every day. The way she has suddenly opened up to me. It's confusing me. I'm also afraid of her. The amount of control she has over me worries me. I'm not saying I don't enjoy her presence, it's just that…' He sighed again, as if to punctuate the end of his incomplete sentence.

'Umm… who's Arya?' Rya asked.

Eragon opened his mouth but a calm and cool, almost seductive voice, answered her.

'Me.'

 **(Eragon)**

Stunned to the spot, Eragon tightly shut his eyes. He felt two arms make their way around his waist and clasp each other just above his secretive region.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing could come out.

 _How long has she been there?_ He asked Saphira.

 _A while. Her facial features clearly spelt that she was humoured by what you were saying at that moment._ Eragon could feel the amusement radiating from her between their link.

 _Saphira! Are you happy that I feel weird around her? I feel the amusement you feel! You fiend! You enjoy watching her torture me like this!_

Arya suddenly chuckled behind him. Eragon groaned in displeasure as he understood what was happening. Arya was open to the conversation with Saphira. She could feel everything he felt and she could hear everything he thought.

Arya chuckled again before Eragon closed his mind off from Saphira and Arya together.

Rya saved him from anything awkward that could've happened next. 'Are you Arya?' she asked.

Arya replied in the affirmative without loosening her grip on her king.

A smile spread across Rya's face before she continued to ask questions.

'Are you a queen? Judging by the crown on your head, I believe you are.'

'Yes I am. And he is my king.' Eragon stiffened as she called him king. Arya paused for a while before asking, 'who are you?'

'I am Rya Sedlinsdaughter. Descendant of Roran Stronghammer: cousin of Eragon Shadeslayer, and Rider of the dragon Moonstone,' Rya replied swiftly.

'I see. So what was Eragon talking to you about?' Arya asked in an amused voice.

'Nothing much. Just discussing shortly what I was to address him as,' she lied.

Arya giggled. Eragon stiffened again, his eyes still closed. He could only hear what was happening around him.

'You're a good liar. Did anybody ever tell you that? You are totally composed, and you aren't sweating like most humans do whenever they lie. I guess the effects of being a human dragon Rider is taking over your body just as fast as it did to Eragon.' Eragon's eyes shot open.

Rya had an astound look on her face. She didn't know how long she had been there because Saphira had only told him.

'And you're good at eavesdropping on personal conversations,' she retorted rudely.

Eragon stiffened more than he thought possible. For Rya to speak to Arya like that on their first conversation was more disastrous than her conversation with the king.

 _Saphira do something! There'll be blood soon if they don't stop._

 _Peace Eragon_ , his dragon replied kindly. _Do you remember when I stopped you and Murtagh from fighting on the way to the Varden all those years ago? I will stop them likewise need be. Be calm. You're sweating from head to toe._

She then sent him an image of how he looked.

Arya was clinging onto him, and he truly was sweating more than Saphira probably would if she flew up to the sun and bathed on it.

Eragon choked in surprise when Arya laughed. Even Rya was taken aback with her response to her rudeness.

Eragon needed to end the conversation as quickly as he could. He cleared his throat.

'Arya, I want to spar with you,' he said loudly. 'We haven't sparred since I came back. I want to see where we both stand when stacked against each other.'

'Ok Eragon. Draw your sword,' she said, challengingly.

'What here? Don't you have a sparring ground?' he asked in confusion.

'We do, but an opponent wouldn't exactly ask us to go to the sparring grounds before we had a fight would they?'

And with that she lunged forwards, Támerlein in hand, swinging towards the right side of his head. Eragon ducked but received a knee to the face. The force of the blow sent him flying away from her. He landed squarely on his back. He looked towards his antagonist and saw her making her way towards him. Arya held Támerlein above her head, preparing for a vertical downward strike. Eragon needed to think quickly, and so, kicked Arya on her left knee with his right foot. He used the time he bought to roll out of the way. He tasted blood in his mouth. He ignored it and drew Brisingr. The blue blade flashed in the sunlight, temporarily blinding him. Once his sight cleared, he saw Arya in front of him.

'You cheated!' he complained.

'Your opponent will use any weakness he can find in you to beat you, whether it be time… or a smile,' she said sarcastically, referring to the sparring sessions they had with each other during the war with Galbatorix.

Eragon growled before pouncing on her, making an attempt on her chest from her left. Arya jumped backwards. Eragon didn't try to stop the original blow, instead he continued to spin in a circle, using the momentum to attempt a strike on Arya. Brisingr was met by Támerlein in a parry. Sparks showered the ground and a few landed on his face. Eragon suddenly remembered that they hadn't dulled their blades.

'Arya! We haven't blocked Brisingr and Támerlein!' He shouted through the sound of resounding metal clanging against metal.

'I have. You don't need to,' she answered confidently.

Eragon grunted and continued to swing his sword at her. Arya hadn't tried to land another hit on him again, after her first two.

 _She's trying to make you tired_ , Saphira told him.

Eragon's lips twitched in amusement.

 _I don't think she knows how much energy I have stored in my sword,_ he replied.

They continued to duel in this manner for a while, attracting a large crowd of elves. Fírnen joined the spectators next to Saphira after a half hour.

Eragon relentlessly and tirelessly, using the energy in Brisingr, landed blows on Arya's sword. During the contest, they continued to circle around and around, like a clock.

 _Saphira. I'm getting bored of this._

 _End it then. Surely you can beat your mate. Or are you the female in the relationship between you?_

Eragon growled again. He continued to land strike after strike on Arya, but couldn't find an opening. He eventually found a rock on the floor near his foot and kicked towards her. In one deft movement, she spun in a circle, knocking it out of the air. Eragon dove straight at her, intending to hack at her stomach. Arya sidestepped, causing him to swing at nothing and lose his footing. Arya then pulled him closer to her with her left hand and brought her sword up to his neck. She held him in that position for a moment before bringing her head close to his ear and whispering, 'Dead.'

The spectating elves erupted into a frenzy of applause and congratulations. Out of the crowd, he heard calls of "Konungr", and "Dröttning". Murtagh stepped towards him and embraced him.

'That was the best swordsmanship I have seen in a while. In fact, only Rya was anything close to what you two were like. No wonder Alagaesia is free of Galbatorix,' Murtagh congratulated.

The sun was about to set. Eragon put an arm around his half-brother before motioning to him to walk with him. After they were out of earshot of the elves and Arya. Eragon turned towards Murtagh. A smile graced his lips before he asked him a question which had tugged at his conscience for a while.

'Murtagh, what is happening with you and Rya?' he asked in the most tender way that he could.

Murtagh blushed. 'What are you talking about?'

Eragon didn't answer but instead prodded Murtagh's mind with his own probe. Murtagh allowed him in with a little hesitation. Eragon then showed him the way he had been staring at Rya earlier that day.

'Now what do you have to say?'

From the corner of his eye, Eragon could see Thorn walking towards them both.

 _If he loved her anymore, he would be licking her feet without even being given her consent in the mornings._

'Thorn!' Murtagh exclaimed, blushing even more.

Eragon simply laughed. 'Do you know that I felt about Arya the same way that you do, ever since we both saved her from Gil'ead? I tried my very hardest not to show her what I felt but eventually couldn't contain myself. I blurted out everything I felt for her during the Agaetí Blödhren. She rejected me and I felt destroyed beyond repair. Saphira even suggested that Arya had broken me but I thought it was ridiculous.'

'Why do you tell me this?' Murtagh asked.

Eragon sighed before explaining. 'Brother… I don't want you to go through two centuries of longing like I did just for the sake of love. I want you to be happy. Nothing else. You understand how it feels to be separated from someone you love because of something you did that was foolish, like what I did in the blood oath celebration, and you with Nasuada after we killed Galbatorix. Try to show her how you feel about her before telling her. If she rejects you then don't give up. Don't confront her with the matter again, but instead, continue to show her the good attributes that you have and try to mend the lack of friendship that will occur after your admittance of love. Love is like a fire. Play with it correctly, and you will be able to use it to your advantage: use it carelessly, it will leave a terrible burn the likes of which only dragon's blood matches. Think about what I have told you and use the advice wisely. And don't ever think age is an obstacle. Think about me and Arya. She's a century older than me but now, the elves call me Konungr.'

Eragon then turned around to leave for Tialdari hall. It was dark now and he wanted some sleep.

While he walked, he heard a rustling in the trees. He focused his elven eyes on the darkness. He saw movement and sprinted towards it. Upon reaching it, he grasped at whatever it was and pulled it closer to him. Eragon's hands closed around long hair and he tugged at it. He heard a yelp.

 _Rya!_

 **Leave a review.**


	11. We need to talk

**Chapter 11**

 **(Eragon)**

Rya squealed in his grip and writhed back and forth in a futile attempt to escape. Eragon was angry. This was one of the few times he became angry with young Riders or elves. Rya tried to punch Eragon in the stomach but it was harder than a wall. Eragon may be a half elf, but he still grew as muscular as normal humans, just at a slower rate.

Rya looked up into his face. He saw the fear she had and rightly so. She had insulted Arya about eavesdropping on personal conversations and here she was, hiding and listening to a personal conversation. The hypocrisy infuriated him. At the least, Arya came out and admitted listening by complimenting Rya on how good a liar she was, but Rya had stayed hidden, and had had no intention to make herself found.

'What were you doing?' he asked through clenched teeth.

'Nothing,' she replied, sounding more innocent than Eragon when he had entered the Varden for the first time.

He tightened his grip. Rya squealed in pain and began to writhe again.

'I don't like liars,' he whispered angrily, 'I tolerate them when I am in a good mood but not when I'm in the contradictory state. Now, I'll ask you again, what were you doing?'

Rya stayed silent. Eragon shook her, still clinging onto her hair.

'ANSWER ME!' he roared. He could hear birds taking off at the sound, but nothing escaped her mouth except for a whimper.

'I believe this is the first time you have been at the mercy of someone in a long while,' he snarled.

Eragon could hear movement in the trees on both sides. Every elf in the forest must have heard his shout. The first to appear on the scene was Murtagh and Thorn, who came from the right, and then Moonstone, Arya, Saphira and Fírnen who came from the left: from outside Tialdari hall.

Eragon didn't even turn to look at the newcomers.

Saphira's powerful voice boomed through his head. _Eragon! What are you thinking!?_

 _This!_ And Eragon showed everything that had happened.

Saphira roared in anger and walked towards the two of them. The entire forest was illuminated by the moon reflecting off the scales of his magnificent dragon. She stood up on her two hind legs and used her front paws to pull Eragon away.

 _Regardless of what happened, you should know how to treat a hatchling! You're relentlessly making her cry! Apart from me, Arya and Murtagh, she is the only family you have left! How could you do this?_ She asked disgustedly.

 _SHE INSULTED ARYA AND HAD THE AUDASITY TO GO AGAINST HER OWN WORDS! DOES THIS HYPOCRISY NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU!_ He asked, fuming from head to toe.

He was in Saphira's claws and could do nothing about it. She was still on her hind legs. He saw Arya walk over to Rya and try her best to comfort her. She gave him a sharp and begrudging glare before taking the weeping child away, towards Tialdari hall.

Saphira released her Rider before turning away.

 _You disgust me…_ she stated before flying off into the sky. Fírnen howled and flew off after her.

Eragon was left with a confused Moonstone and a depressed Murtagh. Thorn flew off to give them some time alone.

Eragon tried to soften his gaze before turning to Moonstone to take him back to the palace. He looked at Murtagh and motioned to him to take a walk with him.

'What happened?' Murtagh asked in a voice a little more than a whisper.

Eragon then spent the next few minutes explaining what had happened.

Murtagh sighed in relief at the end of his detailed account. Eragon could sense that there was something wrong.

'What were you thinking?' he asked his half-brother.

'From the way she was crying it-' he broke off quickly before continuing, 'don't take me wrong here, but from the way she was crying, it seemed like you were forcing her to fall in love with me,' he said while Eragon gave him a dejected look.

'What? I told you not to take it in the wrong way!' he protested.

'It's ok. You are allowed an opinion of your own. I won't try to behead you because of what you think about an incident,' he reassured him.

'Thank you. Although, now she knows what I feel about her. That won't exactly help the situation,' he said sadly.

'Hmm… who knows? A strike of luck may help you win her.'

Murtagh stayed silent. They reached Tialdari hall and they both went to their respected rooms. Moonstone was still in Eragon's arms when he took him to an elf and told him to take the dragon to Rya.

He went to Arya's room and entered. Arya didn't seem to be there. He sighed in relief. He quickly took off his clothes and bathed before wearing felt green leggings and went into bed bare chested. Without Arya in the room, he could focus more on the room itself. There were many wardrobes and cabinets.

 _As a queen should have…_

There was also the fairth he had made of her when Fírnen and Saphira had left them alone at the most eastern end of the Ramr River. He had been unsure as to whether she would take kindly to it or the contrary, thankfully, it had been the latter and their friendship had stayed intact unlike the first time he had made one of her.

There were also two balconies which he hadn't noticed before, one on the north side and one on the south. He could see the moon from the one on the south, right near the frame of the doorway that bordered the entrance to the balcony. Both of them were large. It also hadn't occurred to Eragon until then that this room had been Islanzadí Dröttning's room before she had died.

Eragon closed his eyes to enter the resting state of an elf when Arya came into the room.

She strode over to him and pulled his arm causing him to go into a sitting position.

'We need to talk,' she said in a shady voice.

 **Leave a review. I felt a bit bad when I got Rya abused, since I like her as one of my own characters, but it had to happen.**

 **Also, thanks to Sebastiaan Asselbergs and Shadow Wolf Dreamer for reviewing the last two chapters. I value them very highly.**

 **And also thanks to the twelve nice people who followed this story and the eight who selected this as a favourite. Thank you so much.**


	12. Arya likes children!

**Chapter 12**

 **It has been a while since I uploaded a chapter, but this time, I don't have an excuse, other than I have been a bit lazy. I also realised a mistake in one of the spells. For the word "come", I did Kuasta, when it was meant to be Kausta. Anyway, here is chapter 12.**

 **(Eragon)**

'About what?' he asked.

'You know very well what. That was a stupid thing you did to the poor child,' Arya reprimanded.

'Is it? In my book, what I did was fine, I don't-' he said but was cut off by Arya by a hit on his face.

Arya walked over from the other side of the room and slapped him. She struck him so hard, his left cheek became purple. He spat out blood on the mattress and looked up at her. This was the first time she had ever _hit_ him in anger. Even during the war, she had never touched him in anger or hate. He was shocked. He had done many foolish things, this was a minor one compared to a few others. She had just slapped him for abusing a child and not for herself.

'Why did you do that?' he questioned, his voice groggy from the new mass of blood forming in his mouth.

She slapped him again, this time with her forehand on the other cheek. Her bones causing more pain than the one she had done with her palm.

'The first was for what you did to Rya. This was for not realising your mistake. I don't even fully know what happened yet because I haven't heard Rya's complete account of what happened, but the least I expected was some remorse from you for what you did to your future student, your kin and a Rider,' she spat disgustedly. Eragon saw tears forming in her eyes.

He had been shocked by the way she had hit him, but this was even more confusing. He had next to never seen her cry. The only times he could remember from the top of his head, had been when Oromis had died, when Eragon had left her, and when they had been reunited. Realisation hit him hard in the face. _Arya likes children._ The time when Horst's daughter had been born, she had said: ' _I would never let a child come to harm.'_ During their encounter with Galbatorix, the two children were threatened, and she had stopped Umaroth from attacking because of it. There were also other, more minor incidents, but Eragon had understood from the evidence he now had possession over.

'I-… I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I didn't fully comprehend the extent of what I did…'

Arya fought back the tears, but a sniff didn't help her dilemma. Eragon could easily tell that she was trying to prove that she was stronger than that. She released a long sigh.

'I forgive you Eragon… but I don't think Rya will as quickly as me.'

Eragon steeled himself before asking a question that had a slight chance of pulverising the relationship he had with her, but he had to know.

'Arya?' he called, trying to get her attention.

'Yes Eragon?' she answered.

He sighed before asking, 'Arya… do you want to have children?' he asked cautiously.

Arya shot a heavy gaze at him, her emerald eyes piercing through him like the force of Galbatorix's mind on his own.

'How did you know?' she asked in a cold voice.

Eragon grew suddenly worried. He hadn't expected her to ask this. _Should I tell her?_ He thought to his self.

 _Yes you should,_ Saphira's voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

He could feel anger reverberate through the emotions funnelling into him through their link. A dragon's anger was no small thing to ignore.

' _How did you know?_ ' Arya pressed, her voice becoming desperate. Her eyebrows were furrowed in a sharp "v".

'I gathered evidence from what I had seen during my time with you in the war. You said you would never bring harm to a child if you could help it. You also stopped one of the most powerful Eldunari from attacking Galbatorix because of the two children he had in his custody. I also remember-'

Arya held a hand up to silence him. 'I think I have heard enough. You don't need to elaborate any further.' She then added something else which sounded like something close to, _I now see how weak you have made me._

Eragon stayed quiet since he hadn't fully heard what she had mentioned and decided not to make any accusations on his mate.

'Arya. I know how much you want children, but… I don't know if I can give you that,' he said in an embarrassed manner.

 **Sorry. I had to end the chapter there. This author's note is made on my phone. I had a power cut in my house and I'm very glad that I saved the document onto OneDrive, allowing me to upload this from my phone. Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter is a little short, so I'll make up for it tomorrow with two. Please leave a review and I'll hopefully update the story tomorrow. :)**


	13. What am I?

**Chapter 13**

 **Sorry for the long wait. I had a few problems after the power cut. This is typed on my laptop with what charge I had left so I can't respond to the reviews because I haven't seen them. Anyway, this chapter and the next two may be a little shorter, but you'll have to bear with me, I'm trying to do all this in the next five hours. Anyway, here is the next chapter.**

'Arya. I know how much you want children, but… I don't think I can give you that,' he said in an embarrassed manner.

Arya looked at him slowly. 'Why?' she asked.

'I… I'm…' he stuttered.

She then took his hands in hers and bent onto her knees. 'Why Eragon? Why not?' she asked; her voice thick with emotion.

Eragon looked away before saying, 'I'm not a human. I'm not an elf. I'm something in between. Whatever Umaroth and the other Eldunari did to me during the Agaetí Blödhren, has caused me to become more elflike than the Riders are supposed to be. Take for example Murtagh. He is a Rider, just like me. We've both been Riders for more or less the same amount of time: two hundred years next to a few months is nothing. Anyway, he has pointy ears, like Brom told me Riders eventually had. However, they're not as profound as mine. I am faster than him. I am stronger than him; after the tweaks Galbatorix made on his physical features faded away. I'm more elf.'

He then looked at her in the eyes. Her gaze pierced him like a cold blade entering his body during a warm summer. He ignored it though and then explained his point.

'Arya. I am not something normal. I have the mentality of a human and the features of an elf. I don't know _what_ I am. I have heard tell of human Riders mating with elves, but I am not just a Rider. I am _different_. Nothing I do will change the fact that I don't know what will happen if I mate. I already have with you, but… I didn't want to voice my concerns lest you should become fearful of mating with me. I later realised that what I did may have been harmful to you.'

Arya hadn't made any interruptions during his explanation. She then stood up and slapped him again: on the left cheek with her palm.

'Ow! What was that for?' he asked. This one was softer than the other two… but it still hurt.

'For trying to make me believe that choosing you as a mate had possibly been a bad idea. I understand that not having children may disturb our relationship, but it will _not_ stop me from living my life without you Eragon. I try to picture me without you but I can't.

Eragon was bamboozled like WTF. Despite Arya's love for children, she would rather have him!

'I wonder what good I did to deserve you,' he said in a wondering tone.

Arya laughed and jumped onto his lap. Eragon tensed waiting for a heavy landing, but it was lighter than he was used to with the infant dragons of his elven bodyguards.

'We seem to have totally ignored the reason I hunted you down.'

She tickled him for a moment and when Eragon thought she wouldn't stop, she planted a kiss on his mouth, wetting his dry and cracked lips with her tongue. She begged entry into his mouth but Eragon was lost in the ecstasy of her kiss that he almost forgot. He opened his mouth and she kissed him senseless. Eventually, she broke off from him, panting with her still on his lap: legs draped over each side of his own.

Eragon wanted to kiss her again but didn't dare. Arya seemed to notice this.

'What? No kisses from my mate?' she asked in a playful tone.

'I…' he began but broke off.

Arya sighed and her voice became abruptly serious. 'Eragon. You have every right to be scared of me but _please_ don't be. I understand what I have put you through and I regret it all. Don't ever fear to approach me. You have me now, so what is stopping you?'

'Old habits die hard I guess.'

She sighed and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before making to get off but was stopped by slow to react Eragon.

'You're not going to go anywhere,' he said before pulling her onto his lap again and lying down with his back on the bed and Arya on his chest. They then became lost in engaging their lusts.


	14. Osilon

**Chapter 14**

 **A/N same as last.**

'I'm leaving today. You still haven't told me whether or not you're coming,' Eragon said still in bed.

He could feel the warmth of her bare chest on his own. She kissed him.

'Of course I'll come silly elf. What do you take me for? Do you really think I'll let you go on your own?' she asked.

Her response made him somewhat sad. He had been hoping she would say no so as to stay out of trouble. He knew from experience that changing the mind of an elf was hard as a dragon, and that they were usually right, so he decided not to argue with her.

'Elf?' he asked, concentrating on a different subject.

'Yes. What? Don't you like being part elf?' she asked dejectedly.

'Of course I do Arya! How else do you think the scar on my back would have disappeared? It's just that… I don't know if that is what I actually am. Like I said, I have the mentality of a human and the physical features of an elf. No human Rider becomes so close to an elf that their mates can't even differentiate whether or not they're human.'

Arya didn't respond. Instead, she traced her fingers over every crease on his muscles.

'Arya. Can I get up please? I need to prepare and so do you.'

'After you tell me what you did to Rya. I forgot to ask you last night,' she told him. Her voice was a little threatening which gave him all the more reason to tell her. He then recounted everything that conspired during his time in the forest. He told her everything after his conversation with Murtagh.

'I see,' she said.

She then got off him and began to out her clothes on. The cold hit him on his chest where she had been, causing him to shiver for a few moments.

'Have you had any sort of contact from Fírnen?' he asked.

'No. Why?'

'I haven't heard anything from Saphira either. It worries me,' he told her.

'Don't worry. I have felt a few emotions from Fírnen and none of them spelt grief or sadness. If anything had happened to her, I would have known because I doubt Fírnen would just let her passing go mourn less… much like ourselves.'

Eragon chuckled and started preparing the bags he was to mount onto Saphira. After an hour, he told her everything Murtagh had found out about the Riders.

'He said they came from the west, further out to the sea from Narda. We'll go there and then we may need to fly out over the sea. Some of us may need to search the spine until we find them. Other than Narda, we don't have much of a lead on them.'

'Ok. We'll leave after the other Riders are ready. Until then, let's see if we can find our dragons,' she said, making his mind up for him.

'Aren't they in some sort of dragon hold?' he asked. He hadn't really explored the elven city since his return to Alagaesia, so he didn't know if there was one.

'No. if they were, they would have been close enough for us to communicate with them.

After another two hours, the Riders left Ellesméra to hunt down the Riders. By the time sunset came, they had only arrived at Osilon, one of the elven cities to the west of Ellesméra. The city was burned and not half as large as the capital, but the band of forty seven Riders had no other choice. Tomorrow, they would find out who had attacked the cities… and why.

 **I'm sorry but I had to rush this chapter a lot. By the time I next upload a chapter, my power should be back (I'm running off generators which make ludicrous amounts of noise). The reason I had a power cut was because of a storm during the night in the city I live in, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you lot leave a review.**


	15. Why?

**Chapter 15**

 **So this is the first proper chapter in a while. I wasn't able to respond to any of the reviews made by people without accounts but I can't be bothered right now. I replied to the ones who do have accounts in Private messages. Two of the reviews from Sebastiaan Asselbergs told me to make something of Arya's random attraction to Eragon and it took me a while to find a suitable reason. The story so far has been a bit hollow, but it was because I was paying attention to the characters more than description. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

Osilon was in true fact, a minute village when compared to the immense beauty of Ellesméra. They had spent the night there on their own beddings. The city was in no condition to possibly try to host them as proper guests: reason being the bloodthirsty Riders. The sun rose an hour after Eragon woke up, but Arya was still asleep on his right. Her arm was wrapped around him and he decided not to disturb her.

Saphira and Fírnen had flown off into the forest to hunt for a few animals. Rya had joined the group with Moonstone, who had surprisingly managed to already make a secure mental contact and began to learn words in the ancient language and the language of men. Eragon had been surprised because, as far as he was concerned, dragons didn't learn to speak even the name of their Riders until they were about a few months old. Moonstone had also managed to hunt on his own four days earlier than Eragon had prescribed. Umaroth had explained this to him, saying that the black and white dragons were the most powerful of them, causing only the Riders of such dragons to become the leaders. Vrael being a prime example with Umaroth. He then said that the blue, red, green and gold dragons came next in terms of strength and mental capabilities. He then gave a full list of the colours of dragons and managed to bore Eragon to sleep during their flight the day before.

Arya began to stir a few minutes after he watched the sun rise through the flaps of his tent.

'Good morning handsome,' she said, stretching and arching her back. Eragon blushed heavily. Her praises always seemed to catch him off guard and make him react in awkward ways.

'Good morning,' he replied. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Yes. Did you?' she asked, a wicked smile on her face.

'Sort of. I kept having a lot of erotic dreams.'

She shook violently. Eragon was worried but he soon found out that she was trying to supress a laugh. She laughed hysterically before saying, 'The dreams were because of me. I was in your mind and saw that it was quite empty so I decided to excite it a bit.'

After explaining her motives to him, she began a series of fitful giggles, causing her to fall off the sheets they had slept on and roll over the floor continuously giggling.

'Arya?' he called.

She tried to stop laughing but couldn't do so until she developed hiccups.

'Yes Eragon? Hic!'

'I've made attempts to ask you about this before, but… how did you become so attracted to me all of a sudden?' he asked tentatively.

She looked at him, wearing a pained expression on her face, as if reliving one of the worst pains of her life. She released a laboured sigh and began speaking.

'I will tell you what happened, but I don't want any interruptions, ok?'

'Fine,' he replied, eager to hear what had taken place, causing her to consume him.

'After you left, the elves began mating in large numbers. Within a year, every elf in Ellesméra had found a mate and had children. I however hadn't. Neither had Dathedr. We had had many moments where it had seemed as though we would have been a fine match, but I always had a strange feeling that he wasn't the right person. I couldn't help having a feeling that I would never find a mate, and you already know from a few previous incidents how much I want children. I need your word that you will tell none but Saphira of the next happenings.'

Eragon gave his word and she continued in a saddened, almost embarrassed voice. 'One night, I went to our room in Tialdari hall. I was about to change from the attire I wear in my court when… I saw Dathedr in my room. I reached for the dagger I keep in my glove but he grabbed me and made to use me as he would.'

Eragon was horrified. The anger that boiled within him burned through his senses. He didn't wait to hear any more. This explained the coldness he received from the elven lord. What she had told him also explained what had happened at her court when she had slapped and restrained him to the ground. He looked at Saphira and started walking towards her. He would fly back to Ellesméra and sort this out with the elf's life. He felt a hand close around his left arm and shook it off. Arya grabbed him with both of her arms wrapped around him and tried to hold him back. He turned hard on his left heel and separated her arms. He then pushed her backwards, whether gently or rough he couldn't tell, and turned back to Saphira. The Riders would have to wait for him to return to Osilon or continue without him. He didn't care what happened. He wanted blood. Rya was seated atop of Saphira and spoke something to him. He couldn't hear her due to the blood pounding in his ears. Eragon commanded Saphira to fly back to Ellesméra to settle this matter.


	16. Vengeance

**Chapter 16**

 **A/N in the last chapter, I used the term** _ **use me as he would.**_ **A few people gave me private messages asking me what that meant. It was just meant to be a different expression for the word rape. I got the idea from the book** _ **Eragon**_ **when Arya was explaining to Eragon what Durza and his soldiers did to her during her time in Gil'ead. Anyway, that was just to clear up any confusions to anyone who didn't understand.**

 _Eragon! What are we doing? That way leads to Ellesméra!_

 _Be quiet Saphira!_ He snapped. _I know exactly what I'm doing and exactly where we're going. I don't need any of your dragon wisdom to help me with what I'll do._

 _Why? What is wrong?_ She asked. A hint of urgency trailed behind her words.

 _Don't worry. I'll explain it all to you later,_ he reassured her.

 _Little one?_

 _Yes?_

 _Why is Fírnen and Arya following us? And at full pelt?_

Eragon looked back. Rya was seated behind him. The last time he had looked at her, she had asked him something which he hadn't heard. The girl had a new sense of fear for him. Eragon felt an excruciating pain at what he had done to the poor child, but he had tried to apologise. She had just looked away and said that she forgave him. If Eragon didn't know better, he would have assumed that she had pardoned him, but he did.

He could see that Arya and Fírnen were closing in on his dragon and he knew why: to stop him from carrying out his intentions.

 _Faster Saphira! Faster! Don't let them catch us!_

 _Why? What is happening?_

 _Just focus on getting to Ellesméra before they can catch us._

Saphira made a sound which Eragon had come to recognise as a sigh.

 _Fine, brace yourself. And tell Rya too._

He did so, and after a few moments, Saphira pulled in her wings and flapped backwards as fast as she dared with Eragon on her. Eragon pulled himself closer to her enormous body, so as to reduce the amount of wind on his face. He could feel Rya do the same. Within ten minutes, they were at the edge of the city. Eragon knew, from his short stay, roughly where the elven lords chamber was. The sun was at its peak, so he thought about ignoring his room. If anywhere, he would probably be in the throne room or eating with the few friends he had. The elf had shown him enough kindness during his training with Oromis, for Eragon to call him _friend._ Now, he found out that he had attempted to rape the queen of the elves, while the leader of the Riders was to become her _real_ mate.

 _There is Tialdari hall. Now tell me what you want to do, and why you made me go so fast._

Eragon ignored her and undid the straps around his feet on the saddle. Only Rya could see him so Saphira wouldn't be able to stop him until after he jumped off. Eragon waited until they were close to the palace before jumping off. It was approximately a hundred and fifty feet until the ground would meet him, but he was used to these dismounts. He had trained for over a year with Saphira until he could get these dismounts right.

Eragon felt the wind on flap against his face. Once he was twenty feet away from the ground, he used momentum to upright himself from his current, headlong fall.

Landing on his feet, he quickly grabbed his bearings and made towards Tialdari hall. The flame of revenge still burned strong in every far reach of his vast mind. This drove him towards his purpose here even more. Saphira landed not far behind him. Eragon then started thinking. _Where could he be? Ellesméra is too large for me to search on my own._

He thanked whatever gods there may be that Dathedr had just walked out of the palace and taken a left. He looked at Saphira who he noted was staring at him intently. He drew his sword. And started walking towards the elf who until then, hadn't noticed him. Saphira saw his sword drawn and roared louder than he had ever heard her do so. She started running towards him. _She's going to try and stop me!_ Eragon ran towards the closest cover he could get. He found a low canopy made from whatever trees were used to make the elven hall and slipped under it, out of the enormous dragon's reach.

Saphira released a bugle of flames before trying to claw him out from his hidey hole.

 _Eragon! While you are under_ my _watch in_ this _city, I will not let you use that sword on anybody!_ She screamed into his mind.

Eragon blocked her off and tried to look for a route towards Dathedr. He couldn't see one and he assumed that Saphira had scared every elf in the vicinity to barricade their doors on themselves. He decided that the only way to reach him would be to use magic to tunnel his way to his target. Saphira had already thought of this before him and was digging the dirt to get to him. She didn't know who or why Eragon wanted to kill and he wanted to keep it that way. Saphira had already dug enough to reach in and grab her Rider. Eragon hadn't had the time to think about which words he would use to tunnel and he had to think fast. By the time he thought of the words to dig, Saphira would have him, let alone saying them. He was more agile than her but also slower. It would be risky, but he could try to strafe, duck and dodge her. While Eragon thought, a large claw tore apart his thoughtful trance. Eragon jumped to the left, evading her grasp by only a few inches. He had no choice but to run.

Sprinting out from his cover spot, he saw Rya, sword drawn, standing in front of him. He could outrun her easily. Saphira had probably told her to stop him, but it wouldn't work. He had set a task for himself, and he would see it through.

He sprinted off towards Tialdari hall which was towards his right. An axe flew past him, after being deflected off his wards.

He continued his reckless sprint towards Tialdari when he felt a warm breath on his back and a thudding behind him. He heard the whoosh of Saphira's claws reaching out to grab him and spared a glance behind him. Saphira was hard on his heels and behind her, Fírnen and Arya had landed.

 _Damn it!_

Two dragons, an elf and a human chasing him was a little too much to bear. He needed to get to Dathedr quickly and the place he was most likely to be in was his room.

Eragon ducked a swipe from Saphira and rolled to keep his momentum and continued running. He ran through the open doors of the throne room and looked around. He had been right. Dathedr wasn't there. The elves were looking around in confusion. The two dragons pursuing him must have made a racket enough to make any elf curious as to what may be happening.

He looked up at an elf he recognised. Yaela. One of his guards during the war against Galbatorix.

'Yaela!' he called.

She looked at him before replying. 'Eragon. What is happening?'

'You'll find out later. Where is lord Dathedr? I need to see him.'

She pointed towards a corridor.

'The first door on the left. Why?'

He didn't respond and instead turned towards a voice which rang clear in his mind.

'This has gone on long enough Eragon!' he turned around to see Arya. Her face was grief stricken and by her side was Rya with Moonstone. 'Stop before you get hurt. If you succeed you'll have battalions of elves against you.'

'Yeah? Well the entire elven population should be going against him for what he did!' Eragon yelled. He turned towards the corridor but was stopped by a blade pressed against his skin from his left from behind.

Yaela wielded the blade.

'What are you here to do Eragon?'

Eragon uttered a single word in the ancient language under his breath and the elf fell to the floor, asleep. He turned towards Arya and saw statues on the sides of the entrance.

'Jierda!' he screamed, and the statues fell in broken mounds in front of them.

'Thrysta' he heard Arya shout.

Eragon had already gone to the room and closed the door behind him. Dathedr was standing right in front of him. Eragon drew his sword before saying a word or giving the time to hear one. He charged towards the elf who hadn't drawn his blade, and before he could put his guard up, sliced through his wards and beheaded the rapist. This had all taken place in a matter of seconds. The rage within him cooled and he was finally allowed to think clearly. Arya burst into the room. Her hand flew up to her mouth in horror. Blood oozed out of the hole where his neck had been and the floor coated in marble over the wood, was now dyed red with the blood of his new-found, dead enemy.

Arya walked over to him and landed a full fisted punch on his nose, before tripping him over with one of her legs. Eragon fell hard to the floor, curled up in pain. She kicked him in the stomach before asking, 'Where is your empathy? Do you remember when you told me of what happened during the journey from Gil'ead to Farther Dur? Of how Murtagh mercilessly killed the slaver? This is no different Eragon!' tears were gushing out of her eyes as she spoke to him.

'You didn't even allow me to finish what I was about to say! He didn't get a chance! Fírnen felt the grief that I had in me and made a few quick actions which stopped him. What actually conspired I will not tell you but know this. You killed a man guilty of intention. Not action.'

And with that she stormed off. Eragon was left bleeding on the floor and eventually became unconscious from the pain.

 **Leave a review on what you thought about the hunt for Dathedr. I know I made this somewhat similar to the hunger games, where the whole thing is called the hunger games, but only the last few minutes of the movie had anything to do with it. Like that, I focused on Dathedr so much, but there was no real fight with him. I am sorry about it, but I promise there will be some action in the next chapter, until then, bye!**


	17. The rouge riders approach!

**Chapter 17**

 **I received a review asking me how Murtagh is so weak. When I was writing the chapter of Murtagh and Rya's fight, I thought about it myself and came to the conclusion that Murtagh hadn't had any battles after his leave, thus making him somewhat rusty in the art of duelling with swords. Anyway, here is chapter seventeen.**

 _How could you be so stupid Eragon?_ Saphira scolded him. _From what you've told me, you didn't seem to even wait to hear what happened next._

 _Saphira, I was angry. Tell me one time you have been able to control your anger,_ Eragon retorted.

Saphira leaned in closer to him, her snout inches from his face. He could feel the fire in her chest and the heat from her breath.

 _I am a blue dragon. We are well known for controlling our anger, just as the red dragons and the black dragons are known for how fierce they become when they are angry. Now go heal yourself. You look like hell. Arya managed to properly disfigure you. Were you even trying to defend yourself?_

 _No,_ he admitted.

A plume of smoke erupted from her nose. _Heal yourself then! Do you want to look like a cripple?_

Eragon sighed and walked off. Scars and bruises were the most difficult to heal. He had many of the latter. Arya had kicked his face a good few times. He didn't really have anywhere to go so he walked back to Saphira and sat back down, hiding his face from her so as to make her stay quiet.

 _Saphira, why do you think she tried so hard to stop me?_

 _Why do you think I tried so hard to stop_ you? She retorted.

'Fair point,' he said aloud.

Rya was seated next to him, petting Moonstone and teaching him words in the common tongue.

He reached out for her and she came closer to him, as a niece would an uncle. She continued stroking Moonstone. They stayed like that for a while before Eragon felt another presence watching them.

He leaned closer to Rya's ear. 'Someone is watching us,' he whispered to her.

'I know,' she replied, whispering along with him.

'Do you know who it is?' he asked.

'Murtagh.'

Eragon was glad that she had forgotten how he had treated her the other night, but now he thought she might remember it because of Murtagh's presence.

'How do you know?'

'Moonstone told me.'

Eragon was surprised. It had taken Saphira a few months before she could even say his name, let alone remember other ones.

Eragon let her go and stood up, ignoring Murtagh for the time being.

'Rya. Do you think I should try and solve my differences with Arya? About my vengeance on her behalf?'

Rya shrugged. 'Do whatever you want, but I don't think she will listen. According to the lessons Zenith used to give me, the elven maids are hard to apologise to. You could try and anonymously stalk her. It may help you understand what to do next.

Eragon nodded and walked off. They were camped at the foot of the spine. Eragon had awoken to find himself back in Osilon with the Riders he had set out with. At first, he had thought of it all as a dream, but him bruises where Arya had kicked him proved otherwise. Arya also hadn't even looked twice at him since he had woken up. She had made a new tent on the other side of the encampment and flown on the other side of the group. They were now, just on the outskirts of Therinsford. They would be heading out for Narda that night. They would be travelling during the hours of darkness in the case that there would be Riders hidden in the mountain caves and peaks.

Eragon walked towards the easternmost section of their camp to search for Arya and found her conversing with a few elves. Eragon silently paced over to her. Arya had her back to him. He gently took hold of one of her shoulders. What happened next had been totally unexpected. She had turned around and did a fancy counter which Eragon didn't get a chance to see. He received a sharp, striking kick to his head and found himself in a lock with both his arms barred behind her left elbow and her right hand cupped his neck, with an unbreakable grip. His head felt light from the kick. How she had managed to kick him so quickly then put him into a lock was a mystery to him.

'Eragon!?' she blurted out in surprise. She immediately released him and he clumped to the floor. He felt dizzy and couldn't tell who he was looking at or what they were doing. Arya didn't even help him get to his feet and he remained on the floor as he spoke to her.

'What do you want Eragon?' she asked. A hint of malevolence tinged her voice, causing Eragon to shiver.

'I wanted to speak to you,' he said in a half groan. She had kicked him right where she had punched him, right on the bruise. He hadn't removed it so it ached.

Arya didn't say anything but just looked at him. He hadn't noticed but Saphira was still in his mind.

 _I told you it was a stupid thing to do. Arya didn't love him but the death of her mother's best adviser won't exactly allow her to enjoy the presence of the one who killed him._

 _Shut up Saphira!_ The last thing he needed was her taunts. And to add salt to the wound, Arya left him to lie on the floor and stalked off. _Why is she so angry with me? I killed an elf, but she doesn't even let me tell her that I had no control over myself._

 _Bah!_ Was all Saphira said. She then pulled in her wings and jumped off from the ground and took flight.

'Eragon,' he heard a familiar voice call. He looked up and saw Blodhgarm with his arm reaching out towards him, as if to help him up. Eragon took the hand and was pulled to his feet. He sagged against the elf for a moment before straightening himself up. They then spent the next few minutes discussing what Eragon should do with his whole Arya being angry situation. Blodhgarm didn't seem to have any problems to be speaking to him about these matters. He also gave Eragon examples of his own setbacks with his mate. Eragon seemed to be happy to have his company and reassurance, although he and Blodhgarm had become very close after they left for Edoc'sil Deloi. The topic had changed and Eragon was glad about it. Constantly being criticised by one of his closest friends didn't help him gather his confidence. They were currently talking about their dragons and how they felt when they hatched for their Riders.

Eragon heard a roar. A dragon's roar. It wasn't a normal one either. It sounded… bloodthirsty. The thunderous sound of a flapping dragon echoed through the sky of the setting sun setting from the tip of the mountain. Eragon looked around the sky. From what he could see, there were no dragons from his group in the sky. Suddenly he remembered the reason he had originally set out for.

Rouge Riders.

Eragon and Blodhgarm both ran to their dragons and mounted them, preparing for a battle. Sildaghm reared up along with Saphira. Eragon magically magnified his voice so everyone in the camp could hear him.

'Riders of my order!' his voice boomed. 'The rouge Riders approach! Today we convey the responsibility that has been bestowed upon us by our dragons! Today we help the populace of Alagaesia whose safety has been entrusted to us! And do not forget! Never turn your back to the enemy! Do not die as a coward after everything your masters have taught you! Now we charge into the face of the enemy!'


	18. War

**Chapter 18**

Eragon estimated around two to three hundred Riders as the two forces of dragons charged at each other. They would be outnumbered for a little more than two to one. He also didn't know how well they fought. If he did, it would give him a better understanding of whether his graduated students would manage to hold them off. Eragon reached out with his mind to the sixteen auxiliaries they had left behind. He told them to call for reinforcements from Edoc'sil deloi and to tell them to come quickly. He also told them to come and join the battle because of the lack in numbers.

Just as Eragon severed the contact, Saphira dived sharply underneath a dragon a little smaller than her. She flipped upside down and raked her claws deep into its belly. The gore from the other dragon splattered all over Saphira's flank but they ignored it. The dragon roared in pain and arched its neck backwards. Saphira then flexed her head around and took hold of the dragon's neck in between her teeth. Another roar of pain echoed the first and Eragon took this moment to jump onto the other dragon. The Rider drew his sword and swung at his thigh, because he had the higher ground. His wards blocked the blow and he attempted to land one of his own. The blade slid like butter across the Riders wards, but Eragon landed a punch to volley his miss.

The Rider made a gurgling sound from his neck, where Eragon had punched him. He didn't wait for anything else.

'Thrysta!' he shouted and the Rider went flying through the sky, falling to his death. The dragon was thrashing wildly now. Eragon jumped onto Saphira before she crunched down into the neck of the dragon, breaking a few bones and ending its life.

They dispatched a few more pairs in this manner. Eragon could often see Rya firing enchanted crossbow bolts into a few dragons from the ground with Moonstone standing next to her. Eragon tried to ignore her and continue fighting, but he couldn't. There were only four beings in Alagaesia he actually cared about. And she was one of them. The others were Murtagh, Arya and Saphira. After every Rider and dragon he slayed, he looked back at her. In the disarray of battle, he couldn't find Murtagh or Arya. While he looked around for them, two dragons approached. Saphira snorted then charged forward. She flew between the two of them and tilted to the side. She clawed one and whipped the other with her tail, tearing the scales off it. The dragon who she had raked went tumbling towards the ground. The remaining one which she had whipped with her tail flew higher and turned around to confront her again. Eragon didn't try to mount the dragon this time. He pulled out the bow queen Islanzadí gave him before he left for the battle of the burning plains. He took aim and fired. The arrows could either pierce the wings, or the area where the scales had come off. He aimed for the body where the missing scales provided no cover from the flesh. The arrow hit true and the dragon cried once before falling a few feet. It stopped its fall by flapping its wings laboriously. Eragon aimed again, this time at the left wing. He fired and the dragon fell to its impending doom. He looked around. He estimated around fifty Riders left on the opposing side and he counted three dead on the ground from his own order.

Eragon frantically looked around. He hadn't seen Arya or Murtagh through the whole battle, nevertheless, he continued felling the hostile army. When there was only one left, Eragon watched as Blodhgarm mutilated his face by digging his sword straight through his cheek. He landed and looked around. He was devastated by the amount of dead dragons lying on the floor. Whether or not they were evil, it felt wrong to massacre such majestic creatures. He continued his search for his half-brother and his mate.

He found Murtagh quickly. However, Arya was nowhere to be seen.

The Riders were cheering at their first victory as the peace-spreaders of Alagaesia. Eragon was panicking. _Where is she?_ He constantly asked himself.

He tried asking Saphira. _Have you seen her?_

She was also twisting her head from left to right. _No little one. I can't find them. What troubles you troubles me, and if I don't help sort out the source of the problem, then a half of your soul is a lie to you._

Everyone started congratulating him and mourning the few that died. Eragon was in no happy state to accept congrats. Sometimes, he would see a head which looked like her but ended up being someone else. He raked his hair with his fingers in frustration. He was beginning to sweat.

Saphira suddenly lied down on her belly and ordered him to climb onto her back they launched into the air and began encircling the remains of the battlefield. They looked towards the mountain. The sun was setting so it was hard to see, but Saphira managed to make out two figures on one of the mountaintops. Eragon released a heavy sigh as they neared the shadows, Eragon recognised the shape of the curves of the smaller one and relaxed himself. They landed on the mountain and Eragon jumped off his beloved dragon. He approached his dear elf, but before he could cover ten feet, Arya mounted Fírnen and he took flight, leaving a very disheartened Eragon to his thoughts and the blue dragon that was twice the size of Saphira approaching him with a Rider atop it.

 **I'm kind of sad, because according to fanfic I didn't get a single view today. I'm also really sorry that the last couple of chapters have been super short. I've been away from home for the last week or so, and for the next day. After tomorrow, I'll be doing my usual 2K chapters. Anyway, leave a review and I'll upload the next chapter tomorrow.**


	19. Oathbreaker

**Chapter 19**

 **Still pretty sad. Fanfiction is telling me I haven't had any views, but a review cleared it up for me. I received it 11 hours ago, and the problem first started the day before yesterday. This story will continue, even if I don't know how many people are reading it.**

The sun had set and he could no longer see the dragon, only the occasional glint of the moonlight reflecting off its scales. Eragon stood up. He was already grieved by Arya's behaviour and rejection of him. He hoped that whoever this new Rider was, he wouldn't bring any harm. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. She had told him not to fear her for shattering his heart, but here she was, less than a week later and she had done it. He couldn't live with the idea that the elf who had been his first mate would leave him so soon. He had tried so hard to get her, and he had. But now, she didn't look at him twice. He had felt like he would go crazy when he had left Alagaësia from the lack of her company. She had just started to open up to him when his duty had called him to leave the luxuries of life.

The blue dragon was fast approaching and Eragon still wasn't sure whether friend or foe. Deciding that it would take a while for it to arrive, he turned to Saphira and they conversed for a few minutes. The Riders were leaving. Some for Edoc'sil deloi and some for Du Weldenvarden for a few days before heading back to the home island of the Riders. Suddenly, he heard a loud thud behind him. He jerked his head backwards towards where the noise had come from. There, stood a man as tall as him with cerulean eyes and dark dishevelled hair. He had a long scar traveling from his left cheek directly under his eye, down his neck and into the armour he wore. His sword was drawn and it occasionally flashed with electricity, making a sharp crackling noise every time. Behind him a dragon nearly double the size of Saphira stood regally and proudly. Her scales were the same colour as the sword, as was expected. Other than the colour of her scales, she looked like an enlarged Saphira.

Eragon drew his sword in preparation for a fight. The other man laughed.

'Greetings Eragon Shadeslayer, leader of the Riders of Alagaësia. I have waited for a long time to meet you. I am the leader of the Riders responsible of the attack on your cities. I have a peaceful preposition for you, but first let me explain who I am and what I want. I am Eragon. People from the lands not among mine gave me the nickname Oathbreaker. I want you to join me and conquer every little fragment of land on this earth. The world is round, as I am sure you'll be aware of if you have flown oversea. You can of course fight if you want to, but remember this. I will kill you if you try to stop me from taking Alagaësia. You think you have killed every one of the Riders I have under my command. You are wrong. I have hundreds of thousands of Riders for me to send into battle. Alagaësia will fall to my hands faster than your dragon can kill a hatchling, if I so wanted. However, I am giving you an opportunity to live.'

Eragon was horrified. This was the person organising the attacks on Alagaësia. He had the audacity to send Riders to massacre the elves and now he was asking him to join him in doing the same thing to his own people and others. This man wanted him to become a new incarnation of Galbatorix.

Eragon spat on the Riders face. He drew his sword and jumped backwards, getting his fighting stance ready. The man looked up at him slowly.

'Wrong answer,' he whispered.

After those two words, he was gone. Eragon was befuddled.

 _Where has he gone?_ He asked Saphira. Saphira didn't hear him, but instead leaped at the other dragon. They began fighting ferociously in the air. Saphira was ducking and dodging the swipes from the other dragon. He suddenly received a kick in the back. He fell forwards on his chest. He stood up and looked at the man. Oathbreaker looked at him. He disappeared again. He reappeared less than a second later a few feet in front of him. Eragon tried to scramble to his feet, but Oathbreaker put a foot to his shoulder and kicked him back to the ground. Clouds began swirling in the sky above. A storm was brewing. Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, mingling with the sounds of Oathbreaker's maniacal cackle. The lightning bolt struck him on his left shoulder. He screamed in pain. The bolt blew the flesh off his face and from the left part of his chest.

A scream pierced through the sound of the storm. 'ERAGON!' it was a female voice but he didn't care about anything more. Oathbreaker was standing over his profusely bleeding body. He squatted next to him and whispered to his ear.

'You have three choices. Join me, die, or become stronger before trying to fight me. I am giving you two years before I return to take your life or take you onto my side. And, by the way, your dragon is injured just as bad as you.' and with that, he mounted his dragon and they flew off. Eragon panted heavily. He could her the blood making frothy noises for every breath he took. His face and chest burned from pain and his body still had a current running through it. He heard footsteps approach him from his right where one of his ears was still intact. Only one of his eyes were functioning properly, and then into his vision entered a beautiful elf with dark hair and dark green eyes. Tears were falling down her cheeks and she was sobbing loudly. Some of his organs had come out of his body. He could see his liver lying on his right, still attached to his oesophagus and his stomach.

'Eragon…' she whispered. 'Eragon I'm so sorry.'

 **And that is the end. The next chapter is going to be the final one and is not suitable for Eragon fans. Just joking. Or maybe not. Find out in the next chapter. Leave a review and I might see if I can add anything to whatever I may already have planned. Tomorrow's chapter will be long like all the others I did at the beginning of this story since I will be going back home for my last year of school before college. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll be back in the next one.**


	20. Your demise is inevitable

**Chapter 20**

 **The end or not?**

 **I'm sorry, but my last year of school is coming and I've developed a cold from being up all night and leaving my windows open. In the UK, at night, it becomes quite cold and now I'm not feeling well. If there is anything crazy in this chapter please excuse me. I also have a problem with my laptop. I know what happened but it will take me a few days to fix it. I need to take off the frame of my screen and the plastic covering for the pixel display. Anyway, here is the last chapter.**

'Eragon…' she whispered. 'Eragon I'm so sorry.'

He tried to speak but only blood spluttered around his neck. It had been cleaved open by the lightning bolt. Arya sobbed and put a hand to his good cheek.

He needed to communicate with her. He prodded her mind with his and she granted him entry.

 _Arya. I need you to take me to Glaedr. He will know what to do. If I can even survive._

 _Yes Eragon._

Ignoring the blood, she gently lifted him up with both her hands under him and took him to Fírnen. She then helped him climb onto the dragon before Fírnen went to Saphira's limp body and lifted it up. He then flew off. Arya began healing him but couldn't even repair his face before getting tired. He was mutilated. Suddenly an image of Murtagh and thorn entered his mind.

 _Eragon lay on the floor. Someone screamed his name but he didn't care. Mounting Thorn, he chased after the evil blue Rider. His brother had been killed in front of his own eyes. He wanted revenge. The storm clouds that had taken out Eragon were still swirling in the sky above him. They neared the piece of maggot spawn. The Rider heard Thorn and turned around. Murtagh screamed before raising his sword above his head.  
'Thrysta!' he shouted. The man fell off his dragon and Murtagh jumped off Thorn. To slow his fall he said a spell and landed on his feet. He ran towards the man, sword raised above his head. He would avenge Eragon or die trying. Murtagh raised his sword to deliver a downwards strike. The man simply raised his arm and deflected the blow off from his gauntlet and punched Murtagh in the gut. He winded and his knees buckled. The man was ridiculously strong. Murtagh tried to ignore the pain, but the man kicked him in the face from his kneeling position. Murtagh screamed in agony as he went flying backwards through the air. He landed twenty feet away from where he had initially received the kick. He looked up at the Rider. He vanished and startlingly reappeared directly in front of him. Thorn roared in pain somewhere above him. Murtagh wanted to help but the bones in his arms were broken from trying to soften his fall. The man laughed and pulled out his sword and before giving a chance for him to speak, made to lop off his head. Murtagh closed his eyes and silently accepted what was going to happen to him…_

Eragon awoke suddenly and began coughing and spurting blood from all over his wounds. Arya was holding his liver and stomach in her bare and bloody hands. She immediately turned towards him after hearing his awakening. She touched his mind with her mental probe and communicated with him. According to her, they were only a few minutes or so away from where they kept Glaedr's Eldunari in Du Weldenvarden. Eragon needed help and quickly. They arrived at the building in the forest made specifically for the Eldunari. Eragon didn't remember anything that happened next as he fell unconscious due to loss of blood. Whether or not he would survive would be confirmed if he ever woke up again…

A tingly feeling spread across his chest as he opened his eyes. He was lying down on a floor. Panic began to sweep through him. Had he died? He couldn't feel any more pain.

'Relax Eragon-finiarel,' a calm and familiar voice soothed. It sounded like a long lost memory. As if he was living a dream. He looked around. Sitting about him were, Arya, Rya, Fírnen, Blodhgarm, Saphira and Glaedr's Eldunari on a plinth. There was another figure but Eragon couldn't believe it. It was impossible. There, seated among the small crowd was Oromis. He tried to rub his eyes, but just before he did so, he saw that his left arm was totally pale and hairless. Although he was half-elf, he could still grow body hair, but at a slower rate than humans. It was totally unscarred and wasn't flawed in any way. He looked on the other side and saw it was also unscathed. He looked around in confusion. He was shirtless and there was a gold coloured gem on top of where his heart was. He couldn't feel any problems inside him either.

'Oromis-Ebrithil?' he asked tentatively. Everyone other than Rya looked around the room several times. A simple smile crossed his old master's face.

'Eragon? Are you feeling Ok?' Arya asked.

'Yes why? And how is he here?' he asked pointing towards Oromis. Everyone looked towards the elf but then looked back with a confused expression on their faces.

'How is who here Eragon?' she inquired with a worried voice.

'Oromis-Ebrithil! How is he here?' Eragon exclaimed.

'He isn't here Eragon. He passed into the void over two centuries ago. What are you talking about?' Arya said exasperatedly.

'Eragon, please, do not embarrass yourself any further. Remain silent. Glaedr will explain,' Oromis calmed him.

Glaedr's booming voice then brought everyone's attention away from Eragon.

 _No lady Arya. He is right. He can in true fact see Oromis somewhere in this room._

The mental conversation was open to all and so everyone could hear the answer Arya returned.

 _How Glaedr Elda? How can he see someone that is dead?_

 _When a Rider dies, their souls go to the gems that Rhunön inserts into the pommels of the swords she makes for them. They are similar to Eldunari, however, the gem must be inside the person who wants to communicate with them. You put Oromis's gem into him. Now, as you can see, they heal the person you put them inside. Every time Eragon receives a wound on his own skin, it will be replaced with Oromis's skin instantly. Although it is my Rider's skin, Eragon will feel the pain if it gets cut again._

Eragon grew worried. Would he look like half of someone else for his whole life? Eragon worded his concern and Glaedr replied.

 _Eragon, if for example your arm gets cut off, it will be replaced with Oromis's one. Then, your body will gather up the nutrients it needs over time and gradually reclaim your original arm again. The same goes for your organs. Your body will gather the resources it needs and then it will rebuild your own ones. Think of this as a second chance at everything you do. You can also recuperate faster with healing spells for your skin but internally, it will take longer. There is also another advantage to this. Gems of the elves can contain limitless amounts of energy. Your body, can generate limitless amounts of energy. Normally you need to reach your mind out towards the gems to store energy into them. This however, is now a part of you. Every bit of energy your body can generate will be inserted into the gem after your body has reached its initial capacity, meaning, over time, you will be continuously generating energy and it will be constantly funnelled into the gem. You don't even need to reach for it, it will constantly be at your command. As for you being able to see Oromis is something special. Only you can see him. Nobody else. Not even Saphira. Think of it as a gift. He will be able to show you many things. He will also be able to take control of your body if you are attacked in your sleep or when you have no control over yourself. He can see everything behind you as well. He can also be a vessel for your magic, but you need to supply the energy. This is indeed a mighty gift for your bravery as a Rider. Use it wisely._

 _But how did it get here for Arya to put it inside me?_

 _When your master gave you the belt of Beloth the wise, he replaced one of the gems with the one inside you now, in the case that something like this should have happened to you. You lost it but it was found by Zenith and now Rya had it, and that is why she is here with us. No Rider or dragon knew of this until they died. We however, are the only dragon and Rider to know of this before death came to us and now we share the knowledge with all the beings in this room._

And with that, he closed his mind off to every person in the room. Silence dominated the company of humans, dragons and elves, until Rya eventually shattered it with a question.

'Who is Oromis?' She asked.

Eragon sighed before answering her. He explained how he first heard of him during his sleep after killing Durza, right up to his death in Gil'ead. They then dispersed. Oromis then followed Eragon into Arya's room and they sat on the bed. Eragon then asked him a few questions about his new state. After that, he healed as much of his skin as he could. There was only a little bit left before he became too exhausted to carry on. He then opened his mind further so Oromis could communicate with Saphira through their link, though she could not see him. The sun had set. They all stayed silent for a while before Oromis randomly spoke up.

'Congratulations Eragon! It seems you are now the mate to one of the most beautiful elves in the forest, considering you are in Arya Dröttning's chambers.'

Eragon blushed like a cherry before looking away. Oromis chuckled lightly and closed off the topic. A few seconds later, Arya burst into the room. She ran towards him and embraced him like a restraint. Oromis simply got up and walked out of the room after she began furiously assaulting his mouth. She couldn't see him and the elf didn't want to take advantage of that. She broke off and took off his tunic. She then looked at where his body had previously been marred and sighed gratefully. She then slapped him hard on his cheek. His face didn't hurt however. He looked towards the mirror on the far side of her room and saw that the section she had slapped had turned as white as Oromis's skin. He looked back at her. The two of them wearing shocked expressions.

'Eragon…' she whispered. 'You have a second chance at everything. I think your normal skin will return after the usual time it would take a bruise to heal passes.'

Saying this, she continued her assault on his mouth, only stopping to take his broken armour off. They then spent the rest of the night lavishing in each other's presence on the same bed.

The morning brought him his slightly darker face back. Eragon tried to contain his laughter as Saphira peered through the window and continuously commented on Arya's frame and body. This was the first naked human or elf she had ever seen other than Eragon during his travels with Brom. Oromis eventually walked into the room after spending the entire night outside. He looked away from Arya's sleeping form as he made his way over to Eragon. He looked at the ceiling the entire time they conversed, until Arya began to stir. She stayed where she was for the next hour until the sun rose. They started to get changed when Arya asked about everything that happened during his encounter with Oathbreaker. Before Eragon could say a word, he remembered that Murtagh had attempted to avenge him and died in the process. He silently mourned his brother before recounting everything that had happened the previous day.

'Eragon… he said that you need to become more powerful. I don't know of any human, elf, dwarf or urgal more potent than you already are except for one person.'

Eragon sat up excitedly. 'Who?' he asked eagerly.

'In the wild, he is known as the Mystery Master,' she explained. 'Nobody has lived to tell the tale of crossing blades with him. He hunts Shades to pass the time, however, he isn't written in history as the five who have managed to kill shades because we don't know if he even exists. If he does exist and if you do find him, he may teach you, or he may take your life before Oathbreaker does. Either way your demise is certain if you cannot gain his help.'

 **And that is the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed and- SHUT UP!**

 **I won't end the story there. It was just a joke. I planned this for a long time. I will do something special with the title of the story before I upload this and the next** _ **story**_ **, will be published tomorrow as the next part. Thanks to all those who have read my story until here. If any of you have any questions regarding the gem system, leave it as a review and I will try and answer it in the story through the plot or answer through private messages or as a header for my chapters.**

 **I appreciate it a lot and I thank the lot of you that have heartened me enough to not end this here.**

 **Thanks to the all of my reviewers:**

 **Elemental Dragon Slayer  
Sebastiaan Asselbergs  
Shadow Wolf Dreamer  
A UK reader  
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Guest  
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Akraccess  
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Boomshock5678  
And lastly, my first reviewer, xXxGhostRiderxXx**

 **Thanks to all of those who followed this story and the lovely people who checked this as their favourite.**

 **I will next see you all in the next part.**


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